Jill Biden was “complicit” in covering up the decline of her husband while he was in office, the White House has claimed.
The former first lady “needs to answer” for her role in “shielding her husband away from the cameras”, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said accusing her of continuously “lying to the American people”.
A new book which claims Joe Biden repeatedly forgot the names of close aides and relied on briefing cards in cabinet meetings has renewed questions about his mental acuity while he was commander in chief.
According to Original Sin, a new book about Mr Biden’s presidency, his wife seized on the power vacuum her husband’s incompetency created to bolster her own influence in the White House.
She is accused of shielding the former president from media scrutiny and convincing him to continue his ill-fated election campaign for a second term.
“I think, frankly, the former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regards to her husband and when she saw and what she knew,” Ms Leavitt told reporters at a White House briefing on Thursday.
“Anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can see this was a clear cover up, and Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that cover up.”
Joe and Jill Biden at the CNN presidential debate in June 2024 – Justin Sullivan/2024 Getty Images
Noting that the former first couple had appeared on ABC’s The View this month, Ms Leavitt continued: “She was saying everything is fine. She’s still lying to the American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid that they’re going to believe her lies.
“And frankly, it’s insulting, and she needs to answer for it.”
Leo Terrell, a department of justice official, suggested last week Mrs Biden, who is nine years younger than her husband, could face criminal charges of “elder abuse”.
According to Original Sin, Mrs Biden attempted to shield her husband from negative headlines while becoming “one of the most powerful first ladies in history”.
On one occasion, she reportedly pulled him away from Josh Shapiro, the Democrat governor of Pennsylvania, after he raised concerns about the re-election campaign following a dire presidential debate performance.
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