Missouri AG demands DOJ probe into Biden’s cognitive decline, claims staff exploited mental state to push radical policies
By isabelle // 2025-03-06
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  • Missouri AG Andrew Bailey requests a DOJ investigation into whether Biden’s alleged cognitive decline allowed unelected staff to push through policies without his informed consent.
  • Bailey argues Biden’s late-term clemency actions, including 2,490 commutations in one day, suggest exploitation by staff to enact far-left policies.
  • Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report described Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” raising questions about his mental capacity to approve policies.
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson claims Biden signed orders without understanding their content, potentially rendering those actions unconstitutional.
  • The controversy reignites criticism of media and Democrats for allegedly covering up Biden’s cognitive decline, with implications for states revisiting clemency cases.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether President Joe Biden’s alleged cognitive decline allowed unelected staff to push through “radical” policies without his informed consent. Bailey, a Republican, argues that if Biden was unaware of the decisions he was signing, those actions — including mass pardons and executive orders — could be legally void. The request comes amid growing scrutiny of Biden’s mental acuity, fueled by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report describing the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory” and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s claims that Biden did not know what orders he was signing. Bailey’s demand, announced Wednesday, centers on Biden’s final months in office, when he granted a record-breaking 4,245 acts of clemency, including commuting the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates. Nearly 96% of these actions occurred after October 1, 2023, with 2,490 commutations issued on a single day in January 2024 — more than any president had granted in their entire term. Bailey contends that these 11th-hour decisions “strongly suggest exploitation by staffers and officials who wanted to promulgate far-left policies without any accountability or democratic legitimacy.”

Biden’s mental decline under scrutiny

Bailey’s letter to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz cites Biden’s alleged cognitive decline as a key factor in his inability to fully comprehend the policies he was approving. He points to Special Counsel Hur’s February report, which described Biden as unable to recall basic details, such as when he served as vice president or even the year his son Beau died. Hur declined to charge Biden over his handling of classified documents, not due to a lack of evidence, but because Biden appeared to be a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who could not form criminal intent. House Speaker Mike Johnson added fuel to the fire, recounting an incident in January 2024 when Biden reportedly signed an order he believed authorized a study on energy exports, only to later learn it imposed a moratorium. “Biden did not know what orders he was signing,” Johnson said, according to Bailey’s letter. Bailey argues that if Biden lacked the mental capacity to understand his actions, the policies enacted during his final months in office could be unconstitutional. “Staffers and the Vice President cannot constitutionally evade accountability by laundering far-left orders through a man who does not know what he is signing,” Bailey wrote. “If in fact this has been occurring, then all those orders are void.”

Media accused of covering up decline

The controversy over Biden’s mental state has also reignited criticism of the media’s role in downplaying his cognitive decline. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who is set to release a book titled Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, has faced backlash for dismissing concerns about Biden’s mental acuity during his presidency. In a 2020 interview, Tapper accused Lara Trump of mocking Biden’s stutter when she raised questions about his cognitive slowing. Tapper’s book, co-authored with Axios correspondent Alex Thompson, promises to expose how Democrats and the media colluded to obscure Biden’s decline. However, critics argue that Tapper’s own complicity in the alleged cover-up undermines his credibility. Bailey’s request for a DOJ investigation carries significant constitutional implications. If it is determined that Biden was not mentally competent when approving key policies, states like Missouri could revisit cases affected by his clemency decisions. Bailey specifically cited Biden’s commutation of sentences for inmates convicted of crimes in Missouri, noting that the Supreme Court has ruled states may prosecute individuals even if they were previously tried under federal law. “States like Missouri need to know whether to pursue that path or similar paths,” Bailey wrote. The DOJ has yet to respond to Bailey’s request, but the call for an investigation underscores the broader debate over Biden’s fitness for office and the potential consequences of his alleged cognitive decline. As Bailey concluded in his letter, “The people deserve to know the truth.” Sources for this article include: WashingtonTimes.com X.com DailyWire.com NYPost.com
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