Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden did not strike as he chased President Trump on Tuesday during his first press conference in 89 days, while saying that some statues across the country should be removed and mocked his upcoming announcement about a fellow of formula.
While Biden’s press conference in Delaware was apparently about how he would respond to the coronavirus pandemic, the former vice president criticized the current occupant of the White House for his response to reports that Russian intelligence agents offered to pay rewards to the Taliban-linked militants who killed US troops in Afghanistan
Trump denied Sunday that he was briefed on the matter before the New York Times reported it over the weekend.
“The idea that I somehow didn’t know it is a breach of duty if that were the case,” Biden said while answering questions from journalists. “And if he was informed and did nothing about it, that is a breach of duty.”
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Also during the press conference, Biden said he has not yet been tested for coronaviruses as he “had no symptoms” and does not want to “take someone else’s place in the process.” He added that the Secret Service is being tested regularly and will be done “relatively soon.”
When asked about the debate over the removal of certain statues across the country, Biden said, “I think those statues belong to museums, not to public places.” But he made a distinction between figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who owned slaves, and Confederate leaders who fought to keep slavery.
Biden also said he is also preparing a list of African American women who could serve on the Supreme Court, although he is not prepared to publicly reveal their names, and said he intends to announce his nominee for vice president several weeks before the National Convention. Democratic in August.
As for the Russian reward reports, Biden said on Tuesday it was unimaginable that Trump had not known about intelligence and questioned the president’s cognitive abilities.
“The president talks about cognitive ability, but he is not cognitively aware of what is happening,” Biden said, reversing a blow the president has used against him.
Then, under pressure from Fox News reporter Doug McKelway, Biden defended his own abilities: “I can’t wait to compare my cognitive ability with the cognitive ability of the man I’m running against.”
The news that Moscow allegedly offered rewards to Afghan militants who killed US soldiers was first reported over the weekend in the New York Times.
The Washington Post also reported that the Russian rewards “are believed to have resulted in the deaths of several members of the American service.” And The Associated Press reported that authorities said an April 2019 attack on a U.S. convoy that killed three Marines in Afghanistan is under investigation.
Trump denied on Sunday that he and Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed on the matter, saying in a nightly tweet that the US intelligence services “did not find this information credible and therefore did not report it to me.”
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The Associated Press reported Tuesday that senior White House officials were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence that Russia was secretly offering rewards to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a year earlier than previously reported.
The assessment was included in at least one of the daily intelligence reports written by President Donald Trump at the time, according to officials. Then-national security adviser John Bolton also told colleagues at the time that he briefed Trump on the intelligence assessment in March 2019.
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The White House did not respond to questions about the conscience of Trump or other officials about Russia’s provocations in 2019. The White House has said that Trump was not, and has not yet been, informed about intelligence assessments because they have not been Fully Verified However, it is rare for intelligence to be confirmed without question before it is presented to senior officials.
Biden’s decision to hold a press conference came after Republicans, and the Trump campaign, have beaten Biden due to a lack of availability recently.
On Tuesday morning, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh noted that Biden has gone 89 days without “answering free questions from the press.”
“In that same period, President Trump held 55 question and answer sessions with journalists,” said Murtaugh.
He added: “Joe Biden cannot bear the bright lights of scrutiny. Every time he comes out of his basement, he makes a serious mistake that his campaign has to deal with for several days. “
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
