Latest news with #JamesComer
Fox News
9 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Mark Halperin says Democrats investigating cover-up of Biden's health would be right thing to do
Political commentator Mark Halperin said on Sunday that Democratic lawmakers investigating the "cover-up" of former President Joe Biden's health problems would be good for the country. In a new interview with Fox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade on "One Nation," Halperin advised the Democratic Party to join the GOP in investigating how the American public was kept in the dark over the true nature of Biden's mental and physical decline while he was in the White House. "Democrats should want to investigate that. It's the right thing to do for the country, for it to be bipartisan, but it's probably good politics for them, too, because they are just now understanding how much their credibility has been hurt by their participation in the cover-up," Halperin said. Further scrutiny has been placed on Biden's mental and physical decline in recent weeks as "Original Sin," a newly published book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, alleged that the Biden White House was going all out trying to control the perception of the aging president's failing health. The book exposes the cover-up of Biden's decline amid his ultimately aborted decision to run for re-election that wound up being a disaster for the Democratic Party. House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent out interview requests last week to four key Biden White House aides to investigate their alleged roles in working to obscure Biden's health problems from the media and the public. Comer said that these high-ranking staffers worked "behind the scenes" and "ran interference for President Biden" to avoid his worsening condition from being discovered during his time in office. Halperin told the Fox News host he believes that the GOP opening investigations into this cover-up is a good way forward. "What I would love to see is – congressional Republicans, as you know, Brian, are now talking about launching an investigation, because there is real congressional oversight to be done here," he said. "How could this possibly have happened? What was the role of the first family? Was the role of the White House aides?" He noted that it would be smart for the investigation to be bipartisan as well, as Democratic lawmakers "should want" to know what went on here. "I think it'd be great politics and great for the country for Ron Johnson and the other Republicans on Capitol Hill talking about investigating to invite Democrats to make it a bipartisan investigation. And then let's see what Democrats do," the commentator added.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on investigating Biden, Puerto Rico's power and the AI revolution
Edgewater, N.J.: The president came into office promising to eradicate waste, fraud and abuse of 'hard-earned taxpayer resources,' but because he was bought with a recent non-campaign contribution, he offered Paul Walczak a full pardon, exonerating Walczak from repaying the $4.4 million he stole from all of us (after ripping off his hard-working staff of the $10 million he withheld from their pay for taxes and FICA, which he spent lavishly on himself). Just like the Founding Fathers envisioned, right? This isn't draining the swamp, it's refreshing it. For the last four years, Rep. James Comer and his House Oversight Committee abdicated any opportunity to solve problems for us so they could engage instead in nonstop revenge-and-retribution investigations of our last president. Almost nightly, he appeared on news programs leering with insinuation about all the dirty deeds of the 'Biden crime family' they were examining, yet in the end, they found nothing. Now that the crimes and self-enrichment are right in front of them, Comer and his oversight-and-accountability clowns can't believe their eyes? Nope, they're still investigating former President Joe Biden, which I guess is what all those working-class voters they claim to have brought into their tent really wanted. Most disturbing is that the whole world can see that half of America is OK with these shenanigans. It's enough to warm the cockles of any U.S.A.-hating dictator's heart. Jay K. Egelberg Kew Gardens: I could do without a Biden health cover-up probe. It will be another lengthy and costly endeavor that would be redundant. Most Americans saw the decline of Biden with their own eyes. Moreover, nothing came out of the investigation into the Biden family's monetary enrichment that spanned a decade. They all walked off into the sunset, pardons in hand, with the money and gifts as well. There is, however, one value of the previous probes into the Biden presidency. They will aid history in recording him as a corrupt and ineffectual president. And finally, I hope nobody is considering building him a library. Phil Serpico New Rochelle, N.Y.: Something to think about: Did you ever wonder what it would be like with Kamala Harris as our president? Or even Biden! Do you ever wonder what Russia and China are planning in the next few years? China has more ships than us. Between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, they outnumber our military. Did you ever figure that all those countries were ripping us off with tariffs and we did squat? Thank God I can go to sleep knowing that Trump is watching over my wife and family as well as the rest of America. There has never been a better president. I can hardly wait. Go MAGA. Dom Mastropolo Brooklyn: Yes, Puerto Rico's power grid is a mess, but the money to repair it has already been allocated ('U.S. shifting $365M for Puerto Rico solar to fixing power grid,' May 27). Investment in solar power and battery storage is a much quicker way to safeguard vulnerable hospitals, health clinics and public housing than throwing another modest amount toward fixing the grid. I think Trump swiped the funding for renewable power for strictly political reasons the same way he tried to halt the fully approved and 30% complete Empire Wind project. May Puerto Rico have an advocate as successful as Gov. Hochul to save its solar power the way she saved our wind project. Samantha Gore Brooklyn: The Democrats love to call Trump Hitler. He has a daughter who converted to Judaism. He has Jewish grandchildren. He is an unabashed supporter of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu. He moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem despite the howls from the left. He brokered the Abraham Accords, a feat for which any politician not named Trump would have gotten the Nobel Peace Prize. Frank Congiusta Manhattan: As I watch Scott Stringer on TV calling Trump a 'schmuck' — he also says a few other words — I am not a fan of Trump and what he is doing, but the only schmuck I see is Stringer. I would not let him walk my dog, never mind run for mayor. There is a bar I used to drink at many years ago on Delancey St., and some of the people I knew, Benny and Myer, would call Stringer a 'putz.' Dennis Dunleavy Manhattan: Yes, there was a liberation! A real one, 80 years ago: the liberation of Paris, where everyone sang the praises of America. Then this country deservedly won the plaudits of the new free world. Remember, my compatriots, when it was indeed a glorious thing to be an American — when the U.S.A. saved instead of wrecked. R. B. Brandel Astoria: Re 'Kerik dead at 69' (May 30): Working under Bernard Kerik when he was the NYC Department of Correction commissioner, he always had the officers' backs. He was as real as they come. When hard times fell upon him and those close to him remained silent, Kerik handled it like the trooper that he was. May he RIP. Aris Sakellaridis Plainview, L.I.: To Voicer Lesley Lewis Paulos: I do not take cancer lightly. My family has gone through lung and gallbladder cancer, and even my 6-year-old chihuahua died of stomach cancer. We are not finished when we are defeated, we are defeated when we quit. Never quit, stay strong. I'm a survivor, as I went through encephalitis when I was 8, with a paralyzed left arm and both legs, and went through a brain operation. I also survived a heart attack when I was 49 and a stroke recently. I'm like the Energizer Bunny — I take a licking and keep on ticking. I've overcome every obstacle in front of me. Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Frank Mauceri White Plains, N.Y.: In my opinion, when we think about voting for the next mayor of New York City, we should remember what Andrew Cuomo did when he was governor of New York. He permitted seniors who had COVID to go back into nursing homes with healthy patients, and because of this, many seniors lost their lives even though there were other options for where they could go. In my opinion, for this reason Cuomo should not be elected the next mayor. We must remember all who died because of his actions and how their family and friends must feel about the loss of their loved ones. Joan Cocurullo Brooklyn: I'm the parent of a young athlete in Team Crate, a rising youth basketball program based in Far Rockaway, Queens. I'm reaching out with the support of the program's leadership to share a recent story of resilience, community and triumph. Over Memorial Day weekend, the Team Crate middle school girls team went undefeated in the Perimeter Sports Memorial Classic, winning all four games and bringing the championship title back to Far Rockaway. Their journey included overcoming unsportsmanlike crowd behavior and tough competition, yet they stayed composed, united and focused. What makes this story special isn't just the wins, it's what Team Crate represents: a community-powered Amateur Athletic Union program that has built a movement out of mentorship, hard work and exposure for underserved youth. Karen Valenti Swarthmore, Pa.: The coming artificial intelligence revolution is starting to unfold in real time, although experts metaphorically say it is in the first inning of a nine-inning ballgame. There's no question that its effects will be highly consequential, but does it ultimately move mankind forward, boost our wellbeing and free us to reach the peaks of self-actualization or in the end, control us and dominate us. There's no shortage of prognosticators spewing horrible, apocalyptic scenarios, as there is also no shortage of soothsayers who say AI will usher in a new golden age of untold wealth and prosperity for all. Change is constant and inexorable. It can be slowed down but not stopped. Best to prepare for it to be a highly consequential force in our economy, society and our individual lives. Ken Derow
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Comer May Drag Biden Before Committee on Cognitive Cover-Up
The GOP-led probe into the alleged 'cover-up' of Joe Biden's cognitive decline may soon ensnare the former president himself. Kentucky Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would be 'open to' bringing the former president to testify before the committee. On Wednesday's edition of his eponymous show, Hannity, the host expressed doubts about whether it would be worthwhile to interview the president given his cognitive state. 'I would have to argue, probably not,' Hannity said. 'We're going to see who was giving the directive to sign these,' Comer said, referring to Biden's use of an autopen. Comer has alleged that Biden's use of an autopen is evidence of his cognitive decline. 'If everyone says it was Joe Biden, then I'm certainly open to bring him in,' he added. Comer first announced the committee would investigate what he called a 'cover-up' of the president's mental state earlier this month after a flurry of reports alleged Biden had shown signs of cognitive and physical decline both during and before the 2024 presidential campaign. Since beginning the probe, Comer has frequently taken issue with Biden's use of an autopen to sign pardons and other executive documents in the final months of his term. Autopens—machines that recreate signatures on a person's behalf—are not illegal and were used by former President Barack Obama before Biden took office. Comer told Hannity earlier this month that Biden's 'heavy use of the autopen' was evidence the president 'wasn't capable of making decisions.' Beyond Biden himself, Comer said he'd consider interviewing Biden's immediate family, including wife Jill and son Hunter Biden. The committee is currently focused on questioning members of the former president's staff, including the three former staffers and the former director of Biden's Domestic Policy Council. Comer told Hannity that Biden's former chief of staff, Ron Klain, is a 'very good bet' when it comes to who else the committee will tap for questioning. Comer launched the 2025 probe shortly after Axios published an audio clip in which the president appeared to struggle to recall dates and other information while answering questions in a 2023 special counsel interview about classified documents that he'd stored at his private home. However, Comer had expressed interest in investigating Biden's alleged 'cover-up' long before the Axios clip surfaced. In July 2024, just one week before Biden dropped out of the presidential election, Comer subpoenaed three of the president's staffers, whom he alleged had created a 'protective bubble' to conceal his cognitive state from the public. The staffers never testified, and Comer later said the White House had 'obstructed' and 'defied' his subpoenas. He has since requested transcribed statements from them as part of the new probe. After submitting the subpoenas in July, Comer wrote in a press release that 'President Biden is clearly unfit for office, yet his staff are trying to hide the truth from the American people.' The committee has also requested a transcribed statement from Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor. Comer told Hannity he believed O'Connor was 'definitely not telling the truth about Joe Biden's health.' Because a fellow Republican, Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, previously served as White House physician under presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Comer says Jackson will advise the committee on questions to ask of O'Connor.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Trump says Biden didn't favor his admin's lax border security policy, suggests autopen played a role
President Donald Trump said that he thinks Joe Biden didn't really agree with many of his administration's lax border security policies, instead suggesting those surrounding the former president took advantage of his declining faculties and utilized an autopen feature in the White House to pass radical directives pertaining to the border. The comments came during a press conference from the Oval Office on Friday, during which Trump signaled that investigators are zeroing in on exactly who authorized officials in the White House to sign important documents for Biden using the autopen. "I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time because you have somebody operating it, or a number of people operating," Trump told reporters. "I knew Joe Biden, Joe Biden wasn't in favor of opening up borders, letting 21 million people into this from prisons and mental institutions and gang members. He wasn't into that at all. And, you know who signed these? Who signed these orders, proclamations and all of the different things that he signed that said our country so far back?" House Republicans, led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, launched an investigation earlier this month aimed at determining whether Biden, who was in declining health during the final months of his presidency, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the auto-pen. Comer said this week he was "open" to dragging Biden before the House to answer questions about the matter if need be. "I understand he signed almost everything with an auto-pen. It's a very dangerous thing. It really means you're not president," Trump added in his comments to reporters Friday. Trump pointed to Biden's legacy as a "sort of a moderate person," to explain his reasoning why he thinks Biden was not in favor of all of his administration's open border policies, adding that "he wasn't a person that would allow a murderers to come into our country." "I don't believe it was Joe Biden, I really don't," Trump reiterated. "He wasn't a person that was in favor of transgender for anybody that wanted it, to take kids out of families, etc., etc." A new book, an audio transcript of Biden's special counsel testimony, and a shocking cancer diagnosis have all renewed focus on how Biden's cognitive decline may have been worse than the public was aware. Last week, Comer sent out letters to five of the former president's closest confidants, including his former doctor in the White House, seeking further answers about Biden's cognitive health while in office. All five have made contact with the Oversight Committee, but Comer has threatened subpoena power if they refuse to testify. "Look, I would love to ask Joe Biden a lot of questions, but right now, we're starting with the staffers who were operating the auto-pen," Comer said, according to the New York Post. "We're going to bring the physician, Dr. O'Connor, in, because he definitely was not telling the truth about Joe Biden's health."
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Leavitt accuses Jill Biden of lying about Biden's mental decline
By White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused former first lady Jill Biden of participating in a 'cover up' about her husband's health and said she should speak with House Republican investigators who are ramping up a probe. 'Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that cover up,' Leavitt told reporters at the White House when asked about a House Republican request to a handful of top former Biden administration officials. '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,' Leavitt said. She teed off on the former first lady when asked about House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer's request for four aides and former White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor to come in for interviews. The Trump loyalist and Kentucky Republican is probing allegations launched by Trump and some of his allies that aides were in control of Biden's 'autopen' and shielded the nation from information about his fitness. If they refuse, Comer is threatening to issue subpoenas – which could trigger a legal standoff if they don't comply. 'I think 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 said. 'Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that cover up. There are documents. There's documentation, video evidence of her clearly shielding her husband away from the cameras. They were just on The View last week. She was saying everything is fine. She's still lying to the American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid ... And frankly, it's insulting and she needs to answer for it.' Former Jill Biden aide Michael LaRosa blasted the inquiry, pointing to Comer's probe in the last Congress of what he termed the 'Biden crime family.' 'With regards to Chairman spent two years trying to take on the family and came up with nothing. He went fishing in a dry lake,' LaRosa told Fox News, which posed the inqjiry about whether Jill Biden should participate. Those who got letters from the powerful committee include Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, former senior advisor to the first lady Anthony Bernal and former deputy director of Oval Office operations Ashley Williams. The probe comes days after the Bidens announced the former president, 82, is battling an 'aggressive form' of prostate cancer. 'We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,' President Donald Trump wrote after the initial news.
