The notion that concealment is worse than the crime itself comes from the Watergate scandal of the 1970s. President Richard M. Nixon resigned after he and his aides attempted to obscure their involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), vice-chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, famously remarked, “It’s not the event that causes trouble; it’s almost always the cover-up.”
Political scandals and subsequent cover-ups have long been a part of Washington’s history. A recent example is the book “Original Crime: President Biden’s decline, cover-up, and his miserable choice to run again,” co-authored by journalists Jake Tapper from CNN and Alex Thompson from Axios. This work highlights the concerning and rapid deterioration of President Biden’s leadership vision, as well as the concerted efforts by his aides to shield this reality from the public eye.
This isn’t the first instance where a president’s health issues have been concealed. Take President Woodrow Wilson, for example. He suffered a serious stroke in 1919 during his second term, and his condition was kept under wraps by both his wife, Edith, and his physician, with Edith taking over many of his responsibilities until 1921.
I haven’t read the Tupper-Thompson book, so I can’t offer an opinion on its merits or the severity of the president’s health. But judging from a review in the Washington Post, it seems that the claims warrant serious consideration. This isn’t just a fleeting issue washed away by typical Washington gossip.
The release of this book has raised questions regarding Biden’s mental acuity, especially as it mentions an increase in the use of his autopen, in line with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s recent announcements about pardons and new regulations.
Moreover, Axios recently shared a detailed audio tape of an interview from October 2023 featuring Biden’s special advisor, Robert Huar. After leaving his position as vice president in 2017, Huar looked into Biden’s handling of classified documents, and these interviews seem to strengthen concerns about the president’s cognitive abilities.
In his concluding report, Huar noted that Biden retained a document that had been “deliberately” classified. However, he refrained from suggesting formal accusations, implying that Biden might just be seen as “a sympathetic and well-meaning older man with poor memories.”
If it’s true that President Biden has faced cognitive challenges throughout his time in office these past two years, is there anything that could potentially prevent him from seeking reelection? And, perhaps even more critically, should there be a way to address or at least lessen his remaining time in power?
I realize that even if Congress is aware, taking action is complicated. Impeachment applies strictly to significant crimes and misdemeanors. The Constitution’s 25th Amendment was intended to address these concerns but requires a two-thirds majority from both houses to act if the Vice President and the majority of Cabinet members deem a president unfit to serve. That’s quite a high threshold.
The 25th Amendment does allow Congress to authorize a different body to replace the Cabinet majority. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) proposed a congressional committee of qualified physicians to conduct comprehensive medical evaluations of the president, but Congress would only take action if the president himself is unwilling to cooperate.
Not surprisingly, Raskin has introduced this bill during both the 115th and 116th Congresses when Donald Trump was president; however, it hasn’t been put forth in the current Congress under Biden.
Ultimately, it seems the most feasible way to break through the silence enforced by close aides is for one or more of them to step forward and speak truthfully for the nation’s sake. A small, respected group might replicate what occurred during the Nixon era. After allowing time for reflection, it’s likely that the truth would emerge regarding their intervention. After all, concealment isn’t the answer here—it can become a significant issue.
