Legendary journalist Carl Bernstein revealed that sources close to President Joe Biden have reported as many as 20 instances of cognitive decline over the past year, suggesting that his recent poor debate performance was not an isolated incident. Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Bernstein shared insights from Biden’s inner circle, including close aides and supporters who have witnessed these episodes.
“These are people, several of them who are very close to President Biden, who loved him, have supported him, and among them are some people who would raise a lot of money for him,” said Bernstein, who is credited with breaking the Watergate scandal alongside Bob Woodward, leading to President Richard Nixon’s impeachment in the 1970s.”
Bernstein talked bout the significance of these concerns, noting that they are widely known among Biden’s closest associates and even some journalists who have personally witnessed these incidents.
He described the president’s recent address criticizing the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling as a notable contrast to these concerns.
They are adamant that what we saw the other night, the Joe Biden we saw, is not a one-off, that there have been 15, 20 occasions in the last year and a half when the president has appeared somewhat as he did in that horror show that we witnessed.”
Bernstein, 80, said what makes this “significant” is how “many people around the president are aware of such incidents, including some reporters incidentally who have witnessed some of them.”
According to Bernstein, sources have raised alarms with Ron Klain, Biden’s former White House chief of staff who assisted with debate preparation at Camp David.
“But here we see tonight, as these people say, ‘President Biden at his absolute best,’” the veteran journalist said, alluding to Biden’s White House address Monday criticizing the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling in Trump legal cases.
“And yet these people who have supported him, loved him, campaigned for him, see him often say that in the last six months particularly, there has been a marked incidence of cognitive decline and physical infirmity.”
