CNN Turns on Dems as Biden's Hur Report Tapes Leave Them Nowhere to Hide [WATCH]

CNN’s Abby Phillip criticized Democrats on Friday night for downplaying concerns over Joe Biden’s mental acuity following the release of audio from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interview with the former president.

Phillip argued that Democrats missed a clear warning sign in Hur’s February 2024 report and instead chose to attack members of the media who questioned Biden’s cognitive health.

The comments came during a segment of CNN NewsNight, where Phillip played excerpts from Biden’s recorded interview with Hur, which were leaked earlier this week.

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In the audio, Biden struggled to recall key dates, including when his son Beau died, and confused the year President Donald Trump was elected.

BREAKING: A recording of @JoeBiden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur just dropped… And WOW. Biden spent minutes rambling, unable to answer questions AND not remembering anything. pic.twitter.com/RNkQ2OaVFJ

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) May 17, 2025

Phillip said Hur’s report gave Democrats a “lifeline” they failed to act on.

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“If Democrats had taken seriously — which, by the way, in a way, Robert Hur kind of undersold this. He kind of threw Joe Biden a lifeline. It was an opportunity, actually, for Democrats to take it seriously, maybe change gears at that point, and maybe [give] a potential nominee more time,” she said.

Hur, who declined to pursue criminal charges against Biden for mishandling classified documents, described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” in his report.

That conclusion drew criticism from Republicans, who claimed the description was a political shield.

The audio release has reignited debate over the findings, particularly among Democrats facing growing questions about Biden’s fitness for office during his presidency.

CNN political commentator Maria Cardona added that ultimate responsibility falls on the former president and his family.

“I think, at the end of the day, the accountability falls with Joe Biden, and, frankly, probably, with Jill Biden too, because —,” Cardona began before Phillip interjected.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Phillip said. “But it also falls on the Democratic Party that ostracized people who said anything about Joe Biden’s — attacking the media for even raising the issue of his age, when, clearly, it was an issue. There’s accountability there, too.”

The exchange comes amid renewed scrutiny of Biden’s public appearances and policy decisions in the final months of his presidency.

Following the release of Hur’s report and audio, criticism has intensified from both sides of the aisle, with some Democrats now publicly reflecting on the party’s handling of concerns over Biden’s cognitive performance.

Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in July after a widely criticized debate performance against President Donald Trump, had previously brushed off concerns about the Hur report’s characterization of his memory.

In a February 2024 press conference, he said, “I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing.”

The release of the interview audio, which includes Biden forgetting key dates and appearing confused, has renewed calls for transparency regarding the decision not to charge him.

Hur stated that he would not recommend prosecution even if Biden were not president, in part because a jury would likely find him to be an elderly man with memory issues rather than someone with criminal intent.

The audio leak, combined with growing public criticism from media figures and members of his own party, has raised questions about how Democrats managed the situation leading up to Biden’s withdrawal from the race.