To the editor: Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur has no training in psychiatry or neurology, but he included an evaluation of President Biden's cognitive functioning in his report and declined to press charges for mishandling classified information.
Memory testing is a complex task and cannot be carried out for five hours in interviews with lawyers. If Hur had data suggesting Biden might have cognitive impairment, her responsibility was to stop the interview and request an emergency evaluation.
He would have had to advise Vice President Kamala Harris to act to consider removing Biden's presidential authority. She did not do it. Biden functioned effectively as president.
All of us, regardless of our age, may have difficulty remembering events from a decade ago that were not pivotal to our lives. Having no legal case against Biden, Hur presented an explanation for not filing an accusation.
His explanation is now being used to politically humiliate Biden. Surprisingly, Hur's words echo attacks by former President Trump and his MAGA loyalists.
Sidney Weissman, MD, Highland Park, Illinois.
The writer is a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University.
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To the editor: Biden's age is not the problem. Her reasoning and intellect are. His political career from the beginning was based on nothing more than a good-natured, Mr. Nice Guy personality.
This is certainly not an endorsement of Trump. Having to choose between these two men is an impossible decision for the country.
Diane Lowderback, Tustin
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To the editor: If people are concerned about Biden's memory lapses, the media should remind them of the hundreds of times Trump has declared “I don't remember” or “I don't remember” in his numerous depositions over the years.
Let us not be fooled by the hysteria that followed the special counsel's report, which had no mandate to subjectively describe Biden's memory lapses.
Trump continues to strut his fragile ego and never stops reminding us how smart he is. How about a legitimate test of his intelligence, not the simple one that says he got great results where you have to remember five words, draw a clock with the exact time, and answer some very, very basic questions?
When it comes to decency, empathy and compassion, Biden would pass that test, while Trump would probably end up following his usual script, complaining and blaming others for his failure.
Roz Levine, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I think it is time for law schools to emphasize in their curricula the meaning of integrity and morality and the importance of not deviating from the facts.
It is becoming quite obvious that some litigants are intentionally showing their inability to restrict their personal opinions in cases where they should deal only with factual information.
Sheryl Kinne, Van Nuys
