Reporter Olivia Nuzzi defended her shocking comments about President Biden, telling critics she had been chasing whispers about the president’s fitness for the job for months.
A stunning July 4th feature in New York magazine, “The Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden,” detailed allegations that leading Democratic lawmakers have long known about President Biden’s cognitive problems, drawing harsh criticism for its timing.
Nuzzi is A shocking work The article details how Biden’s “declining mental health was something of a dark family secret to many of his elite supporters.” She reported that Biden supporters had been questioning his ability to win reelection since at least January, and said she witnessed it herself in April, when Biden appeared so weakened that he appeared “otherworldly” after last week’s disastrous debate, which she said exceeded her expectations.
Nuzzi also wrote that leading Democrats privately agreed with Trump supporters that Biden “may not be the acting president after all,” but were afraid to call Biden out on his problems until the debate chaos made it all too clear.
Wild New York magazine op-ed details “conspiracy of silence” to hide Biden’s “mental decline” from America
New York magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi wrote “The Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden,” with the shocking subtitle: “The president’s declining mental state was something of a dark family secret to many of his elite supporters.” (Nuzzi)
The lengthy article drew heavy criticism, with many questioning why it took her seven months to report what she learned in January, and three months to go public with what she witnessed in April. “Olivia Nuzzi” even became a top trending topic on X.
“She writes about this today, over six months later and after numerous television programs have aired showing his senility and frailty. Now she writes about a conspiracy of silence. She should know,” posted Brit Hume, chief political analyst at Fox News.
Molly Hemingway said Nuzzi “by his own admission has been part of the ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ since January. It’s interesting.”
“Without the debates, they would have continued to try to get away with protecting a president who no longer trusts and acknowledges his longtime friends,” wrote Rich Lowry, editor of National Review.
“It was January but I didn’t think to write this until July. Hmm,” radio host Erick Erickson posted on X.
Writer Bill Carter posted, “This scathing indictment of all those who facilitated this disaster while knowing for months (years?) how woefully weak they were is devastating. Some will ask why Olivia didn’t speak out sooner, but she is not responsible for protecting our nation. Those who facilitated this disaster are. They have let us down.”
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According to Olivia Nuzzi, President Biden’s disastrous debate performance “changed the calculus of how open people will be” about his cognitive problems. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson posted: “Conspiracy of silence? You were part of it, Olivia. You knew Biden was incoherent back in April and didn’t write anything about it until now. All White House reporters should be considered either woefully incompetent or partisan bumblings.”
Jordan Schachtel asked, “Why didn’t the editors want to publish this in January, February, March, April, May, June?”
“Interesting, Olivia,” wrote journalist Andrew Tavani, “and a genuine question: if you’ve been hearing about this for months and witnessed it months ago, why did you only report on it after the debate?”
Another reader posted: “Why didn’t they announce it sooner? The timing is suspicious. All the media people who knew but said nothing are complicit.”
The New Yorker article calls on Democrats to use the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office.
John Podhoretz added, “I wonder if she’s even beginning to realize what she sounds like when a reporter like Olivia Nuzzi says, ‘Oh, by the way, I heard Biden had dementia in January.'”
The publication defended its article.
“This was a thoroughly researched feature story that took time and care to publish, and we stand by our content,” a New York magazine spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Nuzzi responded directly to the criticism.
“I write most of my stories over months. This story is about the conspiracy of silence that keeps people from speaking up. I’ve been following what I’ve heard since January. Reporting takes that long. The debate has changed the calculus of how open people are willing to speak, and even then, to do it privately,” she wrote to X.
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Nuzzi did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment from Fox News Digital.
