Letters to the Editor: I’m a psychiatrist. Lawyers shouldn’t be assessing Biden’s cognitive ability
To the editor: Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur has training in neither psychiatry nor neurology, yet he included an assessment of President Biden’s cognitive functioning in his report declining to bring charges for mishandling classified information.
Memory assessment is a complex task and cannot be undertaken over five hours in interviews with attorneys. If Hur had data that suggested Biden might be cognitively impaired, his responsibility was to halt the interview and request an emergency assessment.
He would have needed to advise Vice President Kamala Harris to act to consider removing Biden’s presidential authority. He did not. Biden functioned effectively as president.
All of us, regardless of age, might have difficulty remembering events from a decade ago that were not central to our lives. Having no legal case against Biden, Hur put forth an explanation for not pursuing an indictment.
His explanation is now being used to humiliate Biden politically. Strikingly, Hur’s words echo attacks by former President Trump and his MAGA faithful.
Sidney Weissman, M.D., Highland Park, Ill.
The writer is clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Northwestern University.
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To the editor: Biden’s age is not the issue. His reasoning and intellect are. His political career from the outset was based on nothing but a persona of glad handing and Mr. Nice Guy.
This is certainly not an endorsement of Trump. Having to choose between these two men is a no-win 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 recall” in the numerous depositions he’s had over the years.
Let’s not be deluded by the hysteria that followed the report by the special counsel, who had no mandate to subjectively describe Biden’s memory lapses.
Trump continues to strut his fragile ego, never failing to remind us how smart he is. How about a legitimate test of his intelligence, not that simple one he touts that he aced where you have to recall five words, draw a clock with an accurate time, and respond to a few very, very elementary questions?
When it comes to decency, empathy and compassion, Biden would ace that test while Trump would likely end up following his usual script, whining and blaming others for his failure.
Roz Levine, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I think it’s 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 litigators are willfully displaying their inability to curtail their personal opinions on cases when they should be dealing only with factual information.
Sheryl Kinne, Van Nuys
