Former senior deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates dodged questions from a Fox News reporter Friday about former President Joe Biden’s health.
Biden’s health issues and cognitive decline during his term in office were detailed in books released since the 2024 presidential election, with one book, “Original Sin,” by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, reporting that Biden failed to recognize Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, a long-time supporter. Fox News host Harris Faulkner aired video of Bates walking stone-faced and not answering questions before an interview with the House Oversight Committee.
“Did President Biden really run the White House?” one reporter asked Bates, while another reporter asked Bates if he had any opening remarks.
“What are you planning to tell the committee?” the first reporter asked, while another reporter asked, “Are you concerned that anyone could be criminally charged?”
Bates later released his opening statement, in which he attacked the Oversight Committee for “spending taxpayer dollars investigating Joe Biden – an honorable man” and ignoring what he claimed was “corruption” on the part of President Donald Trump.
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“I was proud to support Joe Biden as President because we believe in the same values,” Bates also said in the statement, according to Fox News. “In the White House, it was universally understood that Joe Biden was in charge.”
“That’s a deflection from the issue at hand and I imagine a Biden loyalist is going to say loyal things about Biden,” Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said on “The Faulkner Focus” about Bates’ comments. “I would ask how much time did you spend with Joe Biden? When was the last time you were in the Oval [Office] with Joe Biden?”
Fleischer said that Bates’ answers could be relevant to the probe, and that similar questions should be asked of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“I was in the [O]val [Office] for a third, a quarter of my days in the president’s meetings, watching everything and hearing and seeing everything,” Fleischer continued. “You just get the sense they kept everybody at a distance. Very few people really saw Joe Biden in action.”
The Wall Street Journal published several articles about Biden’s declining mental acuity prior to his announcement on July 21, 2024, that he would not seek reelection. Despite multiple sources confirming the reports, these articles faced pushback from other media outlets and Democrats. On Dec. 19, 2024, the Journal revealed that White House aides had “insulated” Biden, even from his Cabinet members, as his health and mental capacity continued to deteriorate.
Fleischer told Faulkner the House Oversight Committee might ultimately need to ask Biden himself questions about the pardons.
“I would love to see somebody do an interview with Joe Biden where they actually quiz him and say, ‘Mr. President, did you yes or no, pardon Joe Schmo. Yes or no, or Jane Doe?’ Does he remember the pardons?” Fleischer said. “I differ from President Trump on this. From a legal point of view, the autopen has been found to be valid, but it doesn’t make it right, especially if the president doesn’t even know what he did. The issue is Joe Biden’s competence. The issue is who was running the government or was everything put on autopen.”
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