Someone really ought to tell members of President Joe Biden’s administration that, when Harry Truman coined the phrase “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” it was an exhortation for political functionaries to steel themselves — not a piece of career advice.
Apparently, that lesson was lost on White House counsel Stuart Delery, who became the latest administration official to flee an increasingly warm White House galley.
Late Thursday, according to The New York Times, Delery announced he was stepping down from his position. The move didn’t come at the most ideal moment, the Times noted, since the announcement came “as the West Wing shapes its staff for the final 15-month sprint to next year’s election.”
“Mr. Delery had indicated to colleagues a few months ago that he would be ready to leave by fall after nearly three years in the White House and the pre-inaugural transition that have been all consuming,” the Times reported.
“Since Republicans took over the House in January, the counsel’s office has been the command post for the White House’s response to a multitude of congressional investigations.”
In a statement, President Biden said “Stuart Delery has been a trusted adviser and a constant source of innovative legal thinking since Day One of my Administration.
“From his work during those early days on COVID-19 and efforts to get life-saving vaccines to the American public to the implementation of major legislative accomplishments such as the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, he has been an integral part of my team and will be missed throughout the Administration,” the statement continued.
“I extend my thanks to Stuart and his family for his service.”
Delery’s departure comes a year after another White House counsel, Dana Remus, left the administration; Delery had stepped into her position, according to NPR, which called the move a “small White House staff shuffle as the country enters the final five months before the congressional midterm elections.”
“White House counsel Dana Remus made history by helping to confirm the first Black woman for the U.S. Supreme Court. She also set records for appointing dozens of lower court judges with diverse professional experiences, selecting public defenders and civil rights attorneys for posts that carry a lifetime tenure,” the state broadcaster reported.
It certainly doesn’t look like a “small White House staff shuffle” now, however.
Staff turnover is a normal thing inside an administration, and abnormally high churn is usually associated with Vice President Kamala Harris, who goes through staffers like Murphy Brown went through secretaries. However, the loss of two successive White House counsels in just over a year — in addition to other staff departures — could be a sign that nobody really wants to be associated with the mounting problems at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Much of the heat comes from Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings — and the increasing evidence that the president knew far more about them than he originally let on.
Earlier this month, a plea deal prosecutors and Hunter’s attorneys reached was blown up by a Delaware judge, who said the deal was “confusing,” “not straightforward,” “atypical” and “unprecedented,” inter alia.
After negotiations on a new deal failed, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel — U.S. prosecutor David Weiss, who was the architect of the sweetheart plea deal in the first place. While this fact alone raised suspicions, it’s worth noting that Weiss seems determined to take the charges to trial.
Furthermore, former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer testified that then-Vice President Joe Biden participated in dozens of calls with their business partners, including executives with Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
During questioning by Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, Archer testified that it was “almost fair” to say Hunter was “selling the illusion” of influence by including his dad on the calls as opposed to direct influence, although 1) it’s difficult to tell what, exactly, the difference between those two things is, and 2) Hunter’s entire career could be accurately summed up by the words “illusion of influence.”
The White House has since changed its tune on how much Joe Biden knew about his son’s business relationships; instead of insisting the two never discussed the arrangements, officials are now insisting that the president wasn’t in business with his son, instead.
To add to the questionable timing of Delery’s departure, it came on the same day that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky asked the National Archives and Records Administration for unredacted communications between then-Vice President Biden and Hunter after reports that Biden père used a fake name in communications with his son and business partner.
? BREAKING ?@RepJamesComer is requesting all unredacted documents and communications from @USNatArchives in which:
▪️Then-VP Joe Biden used a pseudonym
▪️Hunter Biden, Eric Schwerin, or Devon Archer is copied
▪️And all drafts of then-Vice President Biden’s speech delivered… pic.twitter.com/GUPWvPFTuq
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 17, 2023
So, yes, the kitchen is getting awfully warm as a whole slew of GOP probes ramp up, and Delery wants out. One guesses he won’t be the last one to flee the Oval Office oven, either.
CLARIFICATION, Aug. 18, 2023: Former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer was asked by Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York during his congressional testimony whether it was fair to say that Biden was “selling the illusion of access to his father.” Archer answered “yes” at first but then said it was “almost fair,” according to a transcript. He said there were “touch points and contact points that I can’t deny that happened, but nothing of material was discussed.” An earlier version of this article was unclear on that point.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
