In a revealing twist from Capitol Hill, Hillary Clinton reportedly had privately flagged concerns about Joe Biden's ability to stay politically strong heading into 2024, according to testimony from his ex-chief of staff, as Fox News reports.
Ron Klain, who served as White House chief of staff during the first half of Biden's term, disclosed to House investigators that both Clinton and Jake Sullivan approached him months before Biden ended his re-election campaign in July 2024, expressing doubts about the then-president's viability.
This came amid a House Oversight Committee probe into whether top aides hid signs of mental decline in Biden, with Klain insisting the ex-president remained sharp enough to lead despite some lapses.
Klain's voluntary interview lasted over five hours, led mostly by staff, though panel chairman James Comer appeared early on. Reps. Andy Biggs and Ro Khanna briefly attended, later describing Klain as credible and fully cooperative in his responses.
The former White House insider revealed that Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser and a past aide to Clinton, noted that the president seemed less effective in 2024 than in 2022.
It's unclear whether mental acuity drove their concerns or if Clinton and Sullivan spoke to Klain jointly or separately. A source close to Sullivan's thinking countered that he and Clinton never discussed the matter together with Klain, and Sullivan only talked to him after a debate, focusing solely on national security duties beforehand.
Adrienne Watson, Sullivan's representative, stated, "Jake did not have a conversation with Ron about Joe Biden running for president before the debate." She added, "We don't think this is what Ron said. Your sources are wrong." Yet such denials ring hollow when weighed against the broader pattern of insider worries that only surfaced publicly later.
Klain conceded Biden grew less energetic and more forgetful over time, often mixing up names and proper nouns, with the issue worsening. Still, he defended Biden's governing acuity, arguing there was no basis to question his mental sharpness for the presidency.
Interestingly, Klain also vouched for Donald Trump's mental fitness, offering no doubts on that front -- a refreshing bit of even-handedness in a polarized era.
As the sixth former Biden aide to face the committee, Klain differed from three others -- Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, and Kevin O'Connor -- who invoked the Fifth Amendment under subpoena.
Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden, like Klain, opted for voluntary transcribed interviews.
Jeff Zients, Biden's subsequent chief of staff, has been invited to attend a similar session, as the investigation presses on.
A source familiar with Biden team perspectives labeled the Republican-led probe as dangerous, aimed at smearing and finding inconsistencies to fuel prosecutions. The insider said, "And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ can prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge." While concerns over retribution merit caution, overlooking potential cover-ups erodes public trust more profoundly.
These revelations underscore a significant critique from prominent Democrats such as Clinton and Sullivan, highlighting unease within the party long before it became widely known.
Klain stayed silent to reporters entering and leaving the session, letting his testimony speak for itself in this unfolding saga.
