Trump orders probe of Biden mental state, executive actions in office
Trump directed the counsel to the president, in consultation with Attorney General Pam Bondi, to probe 'whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President.'
The investigation will focus specifically on actions Biden signed using the 'autopen,' which has become a fixation of those on the right as they levy accusations about Biden's ability to carry out his duties.
Trump's order cites Biden's appointment of more than 200 judges to the federal bench, the issuance of thousands of acts of clemency and the issuance of more than 1,000 presidential documents during his term.
Biden and his aides have repeatedly denied that the former president was unable to carry out his duties while in office.
A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's latest order.
New books, including 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,' have reignited debate about Biden's mental acuity while in office and whether he experienced cognitive decline.
Since President Trump took office, the GOP has taken a number of steps focusing on Biden.
The White House confirmed Tuesday that pardon attorney Ed Martin would be reviewing Biden's pardons for his family members, as well as some other clemencies granted during his final days in office.
House Republicans have reached out to former Biden aides as part of a probe into the former president's mental acuity.
And the Justice Department last month released the full tapes of Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur, one in which the attorney said Biden appeared to have memory lapses. While president, Biden released the full transcript of the conversation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump lashes out at supporters pushing the ‘Epstein hoax': Behind the MAGA fallout over the investigation into his 'client list'
President Trump is lashing out at his supporters amid their ongoing anger over his administration's handling of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a lengthy Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump repeatedly referred to the case, which spawned conspiracy theories fueled by some of his prominent loyalists, as 'the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' 'My PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker,' the president fumed. 'All these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' He added: 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' How we got here Epstein has long been the focus of unfounded conspiracy theories pushed by some of Trump's prominent supporters. They believe that the late financier — who died of an apparent suicide in his prison cell in 2019 after his indictment on federal sex trafficking charges — was actually murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret 'client list,' which was then covered up during the Biden administration. Among the prominent Trump supporters pushing the Epstein conspiracy theories were Kash Patel, who is now Trump's FBI director, and Dan Bongino, now the deputy director at the FBI. During the 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein. When he took office, Trump directed the Justice Department to conduct an exhaustive review of the evidence collected on Epstein. Appearing on Fox News in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review." "That's been a directive by President Trump," she added. But last week, the DOJ and FBI released a joint memo with their findings, stating that Epstein had no 'client list' and concluding he 'committed suicide in his cell.' 'One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,' the FBI and DOJ said. 'Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.' The backlash over the Epstein memo The two-page memo did little to satisfy Trump's MAGA faithful. At Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., last weekend, young conservatives erupted in boos when the topic of the joint memo was raised. 'How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation?' Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked from the stage to resounding jeers. 'It's deeper than Epstein!' Steve Bannon, former senior White House adviser, shouted while taping his podcast live at the event. Bannon said the Trump administration's failure to release more Epstein documents is 'not about just a pedophile ring and all that. … It's about who governs us.' 'The fact that the U.S. government, the one that I voted for, refused to take my question seriously and instead said, 'Case closed, shut up, conspiracy theorist,' was too much for me,' former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said at the summit Friday. 'And I don't think the rest of us should be satisfied with that.' The fallout at the FBI and DOJ The conclusion of the Epstein probe also reportedly did not satisfy top officials at the FBI. Late last week, CNN reported that Bongino was considering resigning following a 'heated confrontation' he and Patel had with Bondi over the handling of the Epstein case. The same day, far-right provocateur Laura Loomer wrote on X that Bongino and Patel were 'LIVID' with Bondi over the Epstein case. According to Loomer, Bongino was 'taking the day off today from his job as Deputy Director of the FBI, and there's now speculation on whether or not he will return to his job.' Patel issued a statement on X Saturday downplaying the Epstein conspiracies and saying he would continue to serve as FBI director. 'The conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been,' Patel wrote. 'It's an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.' Trump backs Bondi and says 'nobody cares' about Epstein Amid the fallout over the memo, Trump issued a lengthy statement on Saturday defending Bondi while expressing his frustration over MAGA's fixation on Epstein. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it's Epstein, over and over again.' 'One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World,' he added. 'Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' Trump doubled down on his support for Bondi while speaking to reporters on his way to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, saying she handled the matter 'very well' and added: 'Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.' Bondi: 'I'm not going to talk about Epstein' The attorney general dodged questions about Epstein at an event touting fentanyl seizures at the Drug Enforcement Administration's headquarters in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to talk about Epstein,' Bondi said. Upon returning from Pittsburgh, Trump said he doesn't understand the fascination his supporters have with Epstein. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' the president said. 'It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going."
UPI
18 minutes ago
- UPI
New York joins multistate lawsuit after Trump administration's FEMA cuts
July 16 (UPI) -- The state of New York joined several other states Wednesday in a lawsuit against the Trump administration's closure of a protective arm of FEMA. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced in a press release that her state has joined 19 others in litigation against Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Richardson, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the federal government that seeks the restoration of FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program. "I'm suing the federal government with a group of [Attorneys General] over its deadly decision to end FEMA's BRIC program and slash billions of dollars that protect communities from natural disasters," James wrote in an X post Wednesday. According to the release, BRIC had "supported critical infrastructure to protect communities from disasters before they happen" with the provision of billions of dollars to state and local governments in order for municipalities to prepare for natural disasters. In a press release that has since been deleted from the FEMA website, FEMA announced in April it was ending BRIC, and canceled all applications sent to BRIC from Fiscal Years 2020-2023, then canceled the fiscal year 2024 notice of funding opportunity. Any grant funds that hadn't been distributed were reabsorbed and returned to either the U.S. Treasury or the Disaster Relief Fund. The dissolution of BRIC followed an Executive Order made in March that, among other decrees, ordered the Secretary of Homeland Security to "propose changes to the policies" related to "national preparedness and response policies and recommend to the President the revisions, recissions, and replacements necessary to reformulate the process and metrics for Federal responsibility." The statement from James noted that the loss of the BRIC program could specifically affect New York, which is noted as being "among the states receiving the most BRIC funding" due to its coastal communities. New York currently has 38 BRIC projects that total over $380 million located across its boundaries, which would be jeopardized by the termination of BRIC. New York City alone was expected to receive BRIC funds for almost 20 different projects, including a $50 million mitigation action plan intended to provide protection from flash flooding of the Harlem River. "This administration's decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk," said Attorney General James in the Wednesday press release from her office. "New Yorkers depend on quality roads, floodwalls, and other vital infrastructure to keep them safe when disaster strikes," she continued. "This administration has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives, and I will continue to fight to ensure New York gets the support we need to prepare for dangerous natural disasters."
New York Post
19 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump fortune could get nearly $100M boost as restriction to sell his meme coins are lifted: report
President Trump's push into crypto is proving to be very lucrative. A so-called 'unlock' of Trump meme coins is expected to add nearly $100 million to the president's fortune, according to a report. Starting Thursday, entities tied to the president will be able to sell 90 million of the $Trump tokens – worth nearly $930 million at Wednesday's price of $10.30, according to crypto research site Messari. Advertisement 3 A so-called 'unlock' of Trump meme coins this week is expected to add nearly $100 million to the president's fortune. NurPhoto via Getty Images Trump's share of the coins will add $93 million to his $6.4 billion fortune, according to Bloomberg. His net worth has not previously included the locked coins' value. He also has made about $150 million from trading of the meme coin through mid-June, according to an analysis by crypto-risk modeling firm Gauntlet. The unlock will increase the coin's circulating supply by 45%, after its initial launch in January made 200 million coins available, Bloomberg reported. Advertisement The total amount outstanding will reach 1 billion in less than three years. Of those, 800 million were originally locked and held by Trump-linked entities. A larger supply, however, could sink the meme coin's price. Like all meme coins, the $TRUMP token has no intrinsic value. It's based on an image of Trump and tied largely to his popularity – making it vulnerable to sharp swings. Advertisement Its price soared more than 10% last week after Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain and cryptocurrency, vowed to buy $100 million worth of the coin in a post on X. Sun is already the meme coin's top holder. 3 President Trump speaks during a White House luncheon on Monday. AP His Tron network added the meme coin to its supported tokens this month, following a rush of major crypto exchanges that scrambled to take Trump's coin to market earlier this year. Advertisement Sun attended a VIP reception with Trump – where he was gifted a Trump-branded Tourbillon watch – in May when the president hosted an event for the coin's 200 largest holders. The crypto entrepreneur – who was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023 – also serves as an adviser to World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's crypto firm. The suit charging Sun with fraud and market manipulation was dropped in February. 3 Donald Trump Jr. speaks during The Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas in May. AFP via Getty Images The 800 million locked Trump meme coins are owned by CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC. The $TRUMP token's website does not state how the coins are split between the LLCs. Following this week's unlock, 510 million tokens will be made available over the next two years. An additional 200 million coins will start to become available in January. Cryptocurrency has emerged as a huge moneymaker for the Trump family, adding $620 million to their wealth since Trump won the election in November. Advertisement A White House spokesperson said that Trump's assets are being held in a trust managed by his children while he serves his second term, and maintains that none of his business ventures present a conflict of interest. Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, who run the family's Trump Organization, are shareholders in crypto miner American Bitcoin, which will be acquired by Gryphon Digital Mining. The new company could be worth more than $4.5 billion, according to Bloomberg.
