House Republicans have plans to keep questions about President Joe Biden's age and capacities alive for several weeks or even months to come, including with hearings that could include testimony from special counsel Robert Hur, who based his decision not to charge the president in his documents case on the 81-year-old leader's mental state.
Axios, citing sources close to House GOP leaders, reports that the officials believe any fight will cast doubt on the White House and Biden as he seeks reelection.
The plans to keep Biden's age in the spotlight will likely include subpoenas for recordings and documents concerning Hur's interview with the president, with the chairs of three House committees writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday to demand information.
In their letter, Chairs James Comer, Oversight and Accountability; Jim Jordan, Judiciary; and Jason Smith, Ways and Means, said that as part of their ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden, information is being sought concerning the president's mishandling of classified information in connection with his family's international business dealings.
They demanded that the records be produced by next Monday.
The Department of Justice and the White House declined to comment on the House letter.
By seeking testimony, the House GOP wants to ask how the storage of sensitive documents could have endangered national security, sources told Axios.
Special counsels often testify when they conclude reports, Garland said in an interview in October, and if Hur testifies, Democrats are expected to try to undermine him because he is an appointee of former President Donald Trump — Biden's likely competition in November's general election.
Hur, however, has been praised in the past by Democrats over his professionalism.
Biden's team has been pushing back at Hur's findings, but top Democrats are concerned about his age issues. If he wins a second term, he will be in office until he is 86 years old.
The president's frequent gaffes are also an issue, including last week when he held a news conference to respond to Hur's allegations and ended up confusing the presidents of Egypt and Mexico during his remarks.
A leadership source told Axios that Hur's testimony would likely be before the House Judiciary Committee, where "someone might ask him if Biden is unfit to lead."
The hearing would also focus on the national security hazards of Biden's document storage, his fitness for office, and the Department of Justice's handling of the investigation.
However, Republicans could face a backlash on the inquiry, considering that Trump is facing 32 felony counts related to retention of documents in Florida, and will "focus on something that will draw even more attention to Trump's #1 vulnerability in the election: his potential criminal guilt," a White House source said.
Meanwhile, the administration may release a likely redacted transcript of the Biden interview with Hur, Ian Sams, the White House spokesman on investigations, said last week.