Latest news with #SteveRicchetti
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Biden's shadow handlers who allegedly ran the White House revealed
A team of Biden administration insiders known as the 'politburo' were the 'ultimate decision-makers' running America as the president's cognitive health declined, according to a new tell-all book. A trio of senior political veterans who had known President Joe Biden for decades worked closely with his wife, Dr Jill Biden, and occasionally his troubled son, Hunter, to run the show, according to Jake Tapper's book, Original Sin. 'Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board,' one source told the authors, Tapper and Alex Thompson. 'In practice, Bruce Reed was the real domestic policy adviser, Mike Donilon was the actual political director, Steve Ricchetti controlled Legislative Affairs, and Klain controlled a bit of everything.' The book states that this group could, and would, make decisions without consulting department heads, keeping Biden at an arms length from his own cabinet members and even some of his political aides. One anonymous insider told the authors: 'I've never seen a situation like this before, with so few people having so much power. They would make huge economic decisions without calling [Treasury] Secretary Yellen.' The phrase 'politburo' is generally reserved for the upper echelon of power within a communist state. Donilon had served as a senior advisor to Biden from the beginning of his presidency, but had been a close confidante of Biden's since at least the 1980s. He was described as a 'true believer' in Biden, and enjoyed mutual trust with the president. 'The president valued Mike Donilon's advice so much that aides would later joke that if he wanted, he could get Biden to start a war,' Thompson and Tapper wrote. Klain (pictured with Biden) had also known Biden since the 1980s and was influential over policy decisions and key messaging. According to the book, Biden's aides had heard him boast of Klain over the years. He would reportedly say: 'Only one person here is smarter than me, and it's Ron.' The book claims: 'Biden showed a particular deference to Klain even though his chief of staff was often more progressive. Biden had deep respect for Klain's intellect.' And Ricchetti (pictured) was a counselor to Biden throughout the presidency, also working as chief of staff during his vice presidency under Barack Obama. Obama had, according to the book, expressed concerns about the 'hangers-on' within Biden's circle. According to the book, both Jill and Hunter Biden were prominent and permanent fixtures within Biden's circle of trust. This is despite aides and insiders partially blaming Hunter for the president's rapid deterioration. 'To understand Joe Biden's deterioration, top aides told us, one has to know Hunter's struggles,' the book stated. While promoting his book, Tapper was asked about Hunter's role in the administration and influence over his father. Fueled by information garnered through interviews with more than 200 people for the book, Tapper answered: 'I think Hunter was driving the decision-making for the family in a way that people - he was almost like a chief of staff of the family. 'It's bizarre because I think he is provably demonstrably unethical, sleazy, and prone to horrible decisions,' Tapper - whose book is called Original Sin - added. 'After his brother died, he cheated on his wife with his brother's widow and then got her addicted to crack. I don't have a lot of personal regard for him, and just based on having nothing to do with,' he added later on. 'I barely have ever met him. I've met him like once or twice.'
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The Biden shadow handlers who were REALLY running the White House, insiders reveal
A team of Biden administration insiders known as the 'politburo' were the 'ultimate decision-makers' running America as the president's cognitive health declined, according to a new tell-all book. A trio of senior political veterans who had known President Joe Biden for decades worked closely with his wife, Dr Jill Biden, and occasionally his troubled son, Hunter, to run the show, according to Jake Tapper's book, Original Sin. Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti and Bruce Reed were the core three decision-makers, the book claims, adding that former senior adviser to the president Annie Tomasini and former White House chief of staff Ron Klain were also 'at times' part of the group. 'Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board,' one source told the authors, Tapper and Alex Thompson. 'In practice, Bruce Reed was the real domestic policy adviser, Mike Donilon was the actual political director, Steve Ricchetti controlled Legislative Affairs, and Klain controlled a bit of everything.' The book states that this group could, and would, make decisions without consulting department heads, keeping Biden at an arms length from his own cabinet members and even some of his political aides. One anonymous insider told the authors: 'I've never seen a situation like this before, with so few people having so much power. They would make huge economic decisions without calling [Treasury] Secretary Yellen.' The phrase 'politburo' is generally reserved for the upper echelon of power within a communist state. Donilon had served as a senior advisor to Biden from the beginning of his presidency, but had been a close confidante of Biden's since at least the 1980s. He was described as a 'true believer' in Biden, and enjoyed mutual trust with the president. 'The president valued Mike Donilon's advice so much that aides would later joke that if he wanted, he could get Biden to start a war,' Thompson and Tapper wrote. Klain had also known Biden since the 1980s and was influential over policy decisions and key messaging. According to the book, Biden's aides had heard him boast of Klain over the years. He would reportedly say: 'Only one person here is smarter than me, and it's Ron.' The book claims: 'Biden showed a particular deference to Klain even though his chief of staff was often more progressive. Biden had deep respect for Klain's intellect.' And Ricchetti was a counselor to Biden throughout the presidency, also working as chief of staff during his vice presidency under Barack Obama. Obama had, according to the book, expressed concerns about the 'hangers-on' within Biden's circle. Most recently, former White House aide Annie Tomasini found herself caught in the crossfires of fury over Biden's use of autopen during his term. Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer confirmed last week he had tried to subpoena three key White House aides during the Biden administration - including Tomasini. He said 'the Biden White House obstructed the Committee's investigation and refused to make the aides available for depositions or interviews.' According to the book, both Jill and Hunter Biden were prominent and permanent fixtures within Biden's circle of trust. This is despite aides and insiders partially blaming Hunter for the president's rapid deterioration. 'To understand Joe Biden's deterioration, top aides told us, one has to know Hunter's struggles,' the book stated. While promoting his book, Tapper was asked about Hunter's role in the administration and influence over his father. Fueled by information garnered through interviews with more than 200 people for the book, Tapper answered: 'I think Hunter was driving the decision-making for the family in a way that people - he was almost like a chief of staff of the family. 'It's bizarre because I think he is provably demonstrably unethical, sleazy, and prone to horrible decisions,' Tapper - whose book is called Original Sin - added. 'After his brother died, he cheated on his wife with his brother's widow and then got her addicted to crack. 'I don't have a lot of personal regard for him, and just based on having nothing to do with,' he added later on.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Biden aide intimidated reporter investigating former president's mental decline with 'tacit threat:' Book
Former President Joe Biden's deputy chief of staff allegedly used aggressive tactics with a reporter trying to cover his mental and physical decline, according to a new book. "Original Sin," by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, reported that "weeks" before the explosive Wall Street Journal story detailing concern about Biden's decline came out in June, Steve Ricchetti, former White House deputy chief of staff, strongly denied claims that the president was slipping to another journalist. "[A] reporter with a different national news outlet had been hearing from White House aides that behind the scenes the president was having serious and disturbing moments, forgetting names and facts, sometimes seeming seriously confused at meetings," the book read. Cbs News Reporter Says Wsj's 'Courageous' 2024 Report On Biden's Decline Should Have Won The Pulitzer "The reporter reached out to members of the White House press office, which not only aggressively—and angrily—disputed her reporting but also took the unusual step of having Steve Ricchetti call her," the book said. "He talked to her off the record, so she couldn't use any of what he said or even attribute it to 'a White House source.' But he told her that everything the others were saying was false, and that he was at the meetings as a counselor to the president." According to Tapper and Thompson, the Biden White House was going all out trying to control the perception of his health. Read On The Fox News App "The message from the White House was clear, this reporter believed: If she went forward with the story from anonymous aides, the White House would aggressively dispute it, on the record, and portray her as a liar," the book reads. "The tacit threat worked." The White House also reportedly asked Democrats interviewed by the Wall Street Journal for the report on Biden's mental acuity to call the outlet back and push back on "false" accounts, with one congressman reportedly defending the president's sharpness, while admitting to a reporter he was told to call back. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other members of the cabinet bashed the Wall Street Journal article, telling Fox News Digital, "The article was BS." "The president is utterly on his game," she added. "He is the wisest, most knowledgeable person in the room. He asks the toughest questions and has the keenest insights on the complex questions brought to him. He is sharp, thoughtful and wise." Wall Street Journal Calls Out Tapper For Sneering At Paper's Story About Biden's Decline Other outlets felt the wrath of the Biden administration when trying to report the story that was obvious to the rest of the country. The Biden White House let the New York Times know it was "extremely upset" about its coverage of Biden's age, according to the paper's publisher, A.G. Sulzberger in February 2024. "I think the Biden team made it really hard to ask questions about his health — they shamed you, said you didn't like him, etc.," former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza admitted to Fox News Digital, noting that many reporters, including himself, "Let that be that." Ex-cnn Journalist Speaks Out On Biden Cover-up, Says White House Aides Made It Difficult On Press Thompson told the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April, "President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception." Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Biden for comment, but did not immediately receive a article source: Biden aide intimidated reporter investigating former president's mental decline with 'tacit threat:' Book
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Biden aide intimidated reporter investigating former president's mental decline with 'tacit threat:' Book
Former President Joe Biden's deputy chief of staff allegedly used aggressive tactics with a reporter trying to cover his mental and physical decline, according to a new book. "Original Sin," by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, reported that "weeks" before the explosive Wall Street Journal story detailing concern about Biden's decline came out in June, Steve Ricchetti, former White House deputy chief of staff, strongly denied claims that the president was slipping to another journalist. "[A] reporter with a different national news outlet had been hearing from White House aides that behind the scenes the president was having serious and disturbing moments, forgetting names and facts, sometimes seeming seriously confused at meetings," the book read. "The reporter reached out to members of the White House press office, which not only aggressively—and angrily—disputed her reporting but also took the unusual step of having Steve Ricchetti call her," the book said. "He talked to her off the record, so she couldn't use any of what he said or even attribute it to 'a White House source.' But he told her that everything the others were saying was false, and that he was at the meetings as a counselor to the president." According to Tapper and Thompson, the Biden White House was going all out trying to control the perception of his health. "The message from the White House was clear, this reporter believed: If she went forward with the story from anonymous aides, the White House would aggressively dispute it, on the record, and portray her as a liar," the book reads. "The tacit threat worked." The White House also reportedly asked Democrats interviewed by the Wall Street Journal for the report on Biden's mental acuity to call the outlet back and push back on "false" accounts, with one congressman reportedly defending the president's sharpness, while admitting to a reporter he was told to call back. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other members of the cabinet bashed the Wall Street Journal article, telling Fox News Digital, "The article was BS." "The president is utterly on his game," she added. "He is the wisest, most knowledgeable person in the room. He asks the toughest questions and has the keenest insights on the complex questions brought to him. He is sharp, thoughtful and wise." Other outlets felt the wrath of the Biden administration when trying to report the story that was obvious to the rest of the country. The Biden White House let the New York Times know it was "extremely upset" about its coverage of Biden's age, according to the paper's publisher, A.G. Sulzberger in February 2024. "I think the Biden team made it really hard to ask questions about his health — they shamed you, said you didn't like him, etc.," former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza admitted to Fox News Digital, noting that many reporters, including himself, "Let that be that." Thompson told the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April, "President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception." Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Biden for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Wall Street Journal
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
The Biden Coverup Coverup
Joe Biden's best defense, I've said before, is that he really was senile. Was he even consulted when his staff leaked to the New York Times in April 2022 that the president wanted his attorney general to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for Jan. 6? Was he consulted in 2020 when a Central Intelligence Agency cabal decided to frame Russia for his son's laptop? Were Tom Donilon and Steve Ricchetti feeding him fake poll numbers to the end suggesting he could beat Mr. Trump?
