AOC Lauds 'Successful' Biden

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., came to Joe Biden's defense amid concerns about his cognition, saying he has been "one of the most successful presidents in modern American history."

Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the progressive House "Squad," appeared Tuesday on CNN and was asked if she had any concerns about the 81-year-old Biden being the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in November's general election.

"I know who I'm going to choose [for president]: It's going to be one of the most successful presidents in modern American history," Ocasio-Cortez said. "[Biden] passed the inflation reduction, that got us the American Rescue Plan, that ensured that we could pass one of the largest federal investments in climate change in U.S. history."

Earlier Tuesday, a Labor Department report showed that the consumer price index rose 0.3% from December to January, up from a 0.2% increase the previous month. Compared with a year ago, prices are up 3.1%.

The issue of Biden's age intensified last week when a special counsel's report investigating possession of classified documents described Biden's memory as "hazy," "fuzzy," "faulty," "poor," and having "significant limitations." It noted that Biden could not recall defining milestones in his own life.

The report suggested Biden would seem too feeble to prosecute.

"It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness," special counsel Robert Hur's report said.

AOC rejected criticism of Biden's age and pointed out that 77-year old former President Donald Trump, the current GOP presidential nomination front-runner, "could have gone to high school" with the president.

"I think right now, when it comes to the president's age, folks are talking about how he's 81," AOC said. "But we have to look at, first of all, Donald Trump is around the same age. They could have gone to high school together. And beyond that, Donald Trump has 91 indictments."

She also said Biden doesn't have major competition for the party's nomination and filing deadlines for the Democratic Party primary have passed.

"There's already been a primary [where] voters have outright rejected [Minnesota U.S. Rep.] Dean Phillips," AOC said. "President Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, and, hopefully, he'll be reelected as president of the United States."