White House spokesman complains about media coverage of Biden's cognitive ability: 'Striking inaccuracies'

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White House spokesman Ian Sams slams Hur report: 'Gratuitous and inappropriate'

White House spokesman for Oversight and Investigation Ian Sams addresses the findings in special counsel Robert Hur's report on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. 

White House Counsel's Office spokesperson Ian Sams expressed frustration at negative media coverage of President Biden after a controversial report called into question his mental sharpness and ability to serve as president. 

In a letter to the White House Correspondents' Association Tuesday, first reported on by CNN, Sams said that "covering the report is challenging" because it is "nearly 400 pages long" and "not straightforward." 

Sams also claimed that Special Counsel Robert Hur's report, which called Biden a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory", was "wrong and inappropriate personal comments have distracted from due attention to the substance."

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White House Counsel's Office spokesperson Ian Sams expressed frustration at negative media coverage of President Biden after a controversial report called into question his mental sharpness and ability to serve as president.  (Getty Images)

But Sams focused in on negative media coverage of Biden's mental acuity after the release of Hur's letter. Shortly after Biden gave a press conference responding to Hur's report, The New York Times, Axios and other major liberal outlets concluded the event was a "disaster" and a public relations nightmare.

The spokesperson claimed media outlets have "reported striking inaccuracies" that gave a misleading portrayal of Hur's conclusions.

"But those facts stress the importance of careful, patient coverage," he wrote. "Instead, many outlets have reported striking inaccuracies that misrepresent the report’s conclusion about the President, and reporters in the White House Briefing Room have asked questions that include false content or are based on false premises."

In his letter, Sams gave several examples of news headlines and stories he claimed "wrongly asserted that the report found that the president willfully retained and disclosed classified material."

In the executive summary, Hur said his investigation "uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen."

WHITE HOUSE SLAMS HUR REPORT: 'GRATUITOUS AND INAPPROPRIATE CRITICISMS OF THE PRESIDENT'

The spokesperson emphasized that media outlets have a responsibility to be truthful in their coverage of Hur's report on the president. ((Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images))

CNN reported that "Sams' letter is yet another step White House officials have taken to push back against press narratives about the report," adding that "over the last several days, officials with the White House and the president's personal counsel have been sparring behind the scenes with reporters about their coverage, with limited success."

Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in American history, is facing daunting polls that show increased public concern over his viability for the job. That he held a hastily assembled press conference the night Hur's report went public underscored how seriously the White House took its fallout.

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"I am compelled to help illustrate the facts in this matter and urge caution in the future with reporting that either is inattentive to detail or misconstrues the facts and evidence," Sams wrote in his letter.