US President Donald Trump has launched an investigation into what he and fellow Republicans call a “conspiracy” to cover up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline during his presidency. The move, announced on Wednesday, has drawn strong criticism from Biden and is the latest effort by Trump to undermine his predecessor.
The investigation is part of a long-standing campaign by Trump, backed by Republican politicians and conservative media, to discredit Biden. At the same time, some Democrats have started to publicly acknowledge concerns about Biden’s mental state, particularly after his performance in last year’s presidential debate against Trump. In that debate, the then-81-year-old Biden struggled to articulate his thoughts and frequently lost track of his words.
A presidential memorandum released on Wednesday claims that Biden’s aides used an autopen to sign documents, thereby hiding his cognitive issues. It accuses the former president’s team of manipulating public perception to mask his condition. The memo states that Biden’s signature was placed on thousands of documents to push controversial policies without his direct involvement.
“This conspiracy is one of the most dangerous scandals in American history,” the memorandum asserts. “The public was kept in the dark about who was truly wielding executive power.”
In response, Biden denied the allegations, firmly stating, “I made the decisions during my presidency.” He rejected any suggestion that he had not been fully in charge, calling such claims “ridiculous and false.”
Biden also dismissed the investigation, calling it a “distraction” orchestrated by Trump and Republican lawmakers who, he claimed, were trying to push harmful legislation.
The issue has deepened divisions within the Democratic Party, with growing debates about whether Biden should have stepped down earlier to allow for a more popular candidate. Biden’s former press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, expressed frustration with the internal party conflicts, calling it a “betrayal” of Biden and announcing her resignation from the party.
The debate over Biden’s health was further fueled by a new book by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. The book suggests that Biden’s inner circle intentionally kept him out of public view due to his declining health, including his reported difficulty in recognizing familiar faces like actor George Clooney.
Trump’s claims gained additional momentum following reports that Biden is battling “aggressive” prostate cancer. Some right-wing commentators have speculated, without evidence, that Biden’s diagnosis was known to those close to him for some time.
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