White House says Jill Biden helped conceal husband Joe Biden’s cognitive decline; calls for public accountability.

White House Press Secretary Calls for Transparency

The White House accused former First Lady Jill Biden of actively participating in concealing former President Joe Biden’s cognitive deterioration during his time in office. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the remarks on Thursday, stating Jill Biden “was certainly complicit in that cover-up.”

Leavitt's statement follows the release of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, a book authored by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. The publication, released on May 20, details alleged efforts by Biden’s team to obscure the severity of his mental decline leading up to and during the 2024 election campaign.

“The former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regard to her husband and when she saw it and what she knew,” Leavitt said. “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.”

Leavitt also cited a recent television appearance showing Jill Biden appearing to shield her husband from cameras. “She was saying, ‘Everything is fine.’ She's still lying to the American people,” Leavitt stated. “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.”

Original Sin includes reported instances where Biden’s campaign manufactured scenarios to appear spontaneous while controlling every element behind the scenes. One such event, held in a high school gym, involved pre-selected questions during what was presented as a town hall. Despite the controlled environment, the footage was never used due to Biden’s difficulties in responding, the book alleges.

While some within the campaign blamed technical issues like poor lighting, others pointed to the former president’s cognitive challenges as the root concern. The book claims Biden’s team cut the footage entirely, fearing it would reveal more than intended.

Biden Team Pushes Back

A spokesperson for Jill Biden declined to comment on the matter. However, Biden’s team has dismissed the claims presented in the book, stating there is no substantive evidence to support the allegations of a cover-up.

“There is nothing in this book that shows Joe Biden failed to do his job,” a spokesperson stated. “Nor did they prove their allegation that there was a cover-up or conspiracy. Nowhere do they show that our national security was threatened or where the President wasn’t otherwise engaged in the important matters of the Presidency.”

The spokesperson added that Biden served with “empathy and skill,” defending his record during his presidency.

As public scrutiny intensifies, the debate over the former president’s cognitive health and his team’s transparency continues to draw attention, raising questions about accountability within political families and campaign operations.