Biden repeatedly told Special Counsel Robert Hur he didn't 'mean' to retain classified documents, had 'no idea' how they ended up in his home and admits moving boxes in his garage to get to his Corvette

President Joe Biden repeatedly told Special Counsel Robert Hur he had 'no idea' how government documents ended up at his D.C. office and his Wilmington garage, according to an interview transcript released minutes before the start of a bombshell hearing Tuesday.

Hur's report has drawn attention for his decision to include instances of the president's failure to recall key events in his life – an explosive move that fueled an election year debate over his cognitive ability.

But the president also repeatedly states that he doesn't recall information directly related to the investigation – namely how government materials that were supposed to go to the National Archives ended up at home. 

During his White House interview, Hur asked Biden about a 'second tranche' of documents that ended up at his home in December 2022.

'I have no goddamn idea. I didn't even bother to go through them,' Biden responded. 

President Joe Biden repeatedly said he had 'no idea' when asked detailed questions about how classified materials ended up in his home and office

Asked how he knew when the boxes arrived in his garage, Biden responded: 'No, because I had been out.' He said it 'could be building material of what they're doing now,' in a possible reference to renovations at his home, with information redacted.

Biden was asked how long he anticipated living at a Virginia home after he left the vice presidency.

'I have no idea,' he responded.

Did he know if contents of a file cabinet were removed from a file cabinet in preparation for a move? 'I have no idea,' Biden responded.

'They probably locked the cabinet and put it in a truck. I don't know, though.' 

Asked about notebooks with his notes on foreign policy dating from his time as vice president and where they were, Biden was apologetic.

'I have no idea, I wish I could say I was more organized,' Biden said.  

Biden recalled moving boxes around his garage to get access to his classic Corvette. He also had precise recall about a binder of material on the car, a gift from his father

Special Counsel Robert Hur issued a report explaining his decision not to charge Biden with a crime, while including examples of memory lapses

The president's failure to recall specific details of the movements of materials came in a process that culminated in Hur concluding there was not sufficient evidence to charge Biden with a crime, in a probe where he had to assess Biden's intent.

Biden, a lawyer who describes early parts of his law career during long tangents in response to Hur's questions, also said he didn't keep documents 'knowingly.'

That is how he fielded a question from a prosecutor about memos and documents about Afghanistan from his time as vice, when asked if there were other documents he kept.  

'Not knowingly. I mean, it wasn't anything I consciously – there may have been something that was kept in a notebook or something, but not conscious,' he replied.

Biden's failure to recall how classified information at his home came to light before a House hearing that featured video from his fiery press conference immediately after Hur released his report.

'I take responsibility for not having seen exactly what my staff was doing,' Biden said.

Biden also tried to put blame on subordinates during his interview, without naming names. 'I don't want to hold them responsible or get them in trouble, but I believe they were the ones who were packing it up,' he said. 

There were other areas where Biden's memory was crystal clear, including a binder marked 'Corvette,' related to his classic Stingray.

'Now I have stuff in there. I remember this,' Biden said. 'I had all materials of things that mattered to me personally, He mentioned the $5,700 sticker price, the 'original key ring' he maintains. 'I have all the stuff about the Corvette,' he said.

He also recalled seeing boxes in his garage in 2019 or 2020 - and moving them himself to get to his cherished vehicle.

'I remember moving boxes, literally physically moving them, with help, one side to the other so I could get the Corvette in the garage ...' he said. 

As expected, Biden's memory featured prominently in dueling testimony at Tuesday's House hearing.  

'We're trying to play memory detectives,' scolded Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

But Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a Donald Trump loyalist, asked if Biden was being 'a little craftier and a little more devious and perhaps a little more intentional' in his answers.