Senate Republicans have introduced plans to launch their very own probe into former President Joe Biden over his cognitive talents whereas in workplace, claiming they need to examine who was operating the nation throughout what they name Biden’s decline.
Republican Sens. Eric Schmitt and John Cornyn will co-chair a first-of-its-kind Senate Judiciary Committee listening to subsequent month on the topic, which they are saying was lined up by members of the media. The main target echoes President Donald Trump’s oft-repeated claims about Biden’s psychological health whereas president and criticism of Biden’s use of autopen, a mechanical machine to routinely add a signature to a doc that is been utilized by a number of previous presidents, together with Trump in his first time period.
“We have to get previous the failures of the media, which had been legend as you identified, or the political concern of ‘had been you for Biden or towards Biden?’ That is a few constitutional disaster, the place we mainly have a mentally incompetent president who’s not in cost,” Cornyn mentioned Thursday on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”
“The query is: Who’s in cost? Whose finger is on the nuclear button or has the nuclear codes? Who can declare battle? How can we defend the nation when we now have mainly an absent president? And people are constitutional points we have to tackle and proper,” Cornyn mentioned.
On Friday, after delivering his first public remarks since his office announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, Biden responded to reporters who requested him about Democrats who say he should not have run once more. “Why did not they run towards me then? As a result of I would have crushed them,” Biden mentioned, including that he has no regrets.
Biden denied any accusations of psychological decline, saying that he is pleased with his document as president.
Information of the upcoming listening to comes after Cornyn penned a letter to Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi final week, urging the Justice Division to research whether or not the Biden administration was being lawful in how they introduced his cognitive situation to the nation.
Sen. John Cornyn in Washington, Dec. 19, 2024 and President Joe Biden in Washington, Sept. 30, 2024.
Getty Pictures/AP
He requested that the Justice Division open a probe into “any potential violations of federal regulation surrounding the representations made to the American folks concerning the well being and wellbeing” of Biden.
“Congress’ duty is definitely greater than simply that. It’s to supply oversight and to be sure that there’s extra transparency for future presidents so we perceive how this occurred and the way can we stop it from taking place once more,” Cornyn mentioned on Fox Information.
Cornyn, in his letter, cited the Could 18 report from Biden’s representatives that announced he had been diagnosed with late-stage aggressive prostate cancer.
Different Republicans have additionally been calling for solutions about Biden’s well being throughout the course of his presidency.
Sen. John Cornyn throughout his assembly with Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner nominee, Rodney Scott within the Hart Senate Workplace Constructing, April 7, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Pictures
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised reporters on Thursday that former first woman Jill Biden ought to testify in entrance of Congress over the alleged “cover-up” of Biden’s well being.
“I believe, frankly, the previous first woman ought to actually converse up about what she noticed with regard to her husband and when she noticed it and what she knew,” Leavitt mentioned.
Former President Joe Biden and former First Woman Jill Biden pose for a selfie photograph, on this handout social media image launched Could 19, 2025.
Joe Biden/X through Reuters
“I believe anyone wanting on the movies and photograph proof of Joe Biden with your individual eyes and a bit of little bit of frequent sense can see, this was a transparent coverup, and Jill Biden was actually complicit in that cover-up. There’s documentation and video proof of her clearly attempting to defend her husband away from the cameras,” she claimed.
Home Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican, not too long ago known as for a variety of high-ranking Biden White Home staffers to do transcribed interviews surrounding the subject of Biden’s alleged decline.
Comer, talking to Fox Information’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday, additionally advised he may subpoena each Joe and Jill Biden, in addition to former White Home chief of employees Ron Klain, throughout the Home’s investigation of the previous president’s well being and examination of his use of an autopen to signal laws and govt orders.
President Joe Biden embraces First Woman Jill Biden after she acquired a medal for distinguished public service at a Division of Protection Commander in Chief Farewell Ceremony, in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 16, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP through Getty Pictures
Comer additionally not too long ago requested that Biden’s White Home doctor, Kevin O’Connor, appear for a transcribed interview as a part of the investigation.
The requires the probes into Biden come after the discharge of “Unique Sin” by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, which made claims about “the Bidens’ capability for denial and the lengths they’d go to keep away from transparency about well being points.”
In response to the ebook’s launch, a Biden spokesman mentioned “there may be nothing on this ebook that exhibits Joe Biden didn’t do his job, because the authors have alleged, nor did they show their allegation that there was a canopy up or conspiracy.”
“Nowhere do they present that our nationwide safety was threatened or the place the President wasn’t in any other case engaged within the essential issues of the Presidency,” the spokesperson mentioned in a press release to ABC Information. “In truth, Joe Biden was an efficient President who led our nation with empathy and ability.”
High Democrats have largely prevented defending Biden as new particulars surrounding the previous president’s well being and alleged cover-up have emerged in latest weeks.
Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, when requested by CNN host Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday whether or not Democrats could be trusted as new particulars are rising, circumvented commenting instantly on the previous president’s situation.
“What I can say is that we’re not wanting again, we’re gonna proceed to look ahead as a result of at this second, we have actual issues that have to be addressed on behalf of the American folks, together with the Republican effort to grab away well being care, to grab away meals help and damage veterans,” Jeffries mentioned.
Throughout a latest press convention, Jeffries additionally accused Republicans of “peddling conspiracy theories” supposed to make the nation look “backward at a time when they’re really taking well being care away from the American folks.”
“No, as Home Democrats, we’re going to look ahead,” Jeffries added.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer has additionally dodged any questions on Biden’s well being, responding to CNN’s Kasie Hunt earlier this month by saying, “Kasie, we’re wanting ahead.”
However different Democrats, comparable to Rep. Ro Khanna — who defended Biden’s psychological and bodily health throughout the 2024 marketing campaign — admitted he was incorrect, however mentioned there wasn’t a cover-up of forward of the election.
“I do not assume it was a cover-up … however I do assume that the advisers and other people near Joe Biden owe an evidence … What I do not assume the Democratic Celebration can do is simply say, ‘Let’s speak concerning the future. Let’s transfer previous this,'” Khanna advised ABC Information’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl final Sunday.
