A former adviser to President Joe Biden has acknowledged that members of his team believed they were justified in engaging in “undemocratic things” to prevent what they perceived as a serious threat to democracy: President Donald Trump.
Axios journalist Alex Thompson discussed conversations he had with White House staffers and insiders who viewed themselves as the real decision-makers within the administration and felt protected from President Biden’s direct supervision.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, Thompson said, “If you believe — and I think a lot of these people do sincerely believe — that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy, you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things.”
Thompson recalled one aide who believed that Biden simply needed to win the election and could then step back from a visible leadership role. “[He] just had to win, and then he could disappear for four years,” the aide reportedly told Thompson.
“He’d only have to show proof of life every once in a while. His aides could pick up the slack.” The aide added, “When you’re voting for president, you’re voting for the aides around him.”
Former President Biden was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, making already prevalent concerns about his ability to continue as president even more dire. According to a statement released to CNN and CBS, his office confirmed he is facing an advanced case of prostate cancer.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the statement read. “On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” it continued. “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
