Rantz: After Joe Biden cover-up, should it be illegal to lie about president’s cognitive abilities?

The American people deserve the truth about their president’s ability to lead. Yet, the Biden administration has spent years concealing, obfuscating, and outright lying about the commander-in-chief’s cognitive and physical health. This isn’t just a breach of trust — it’s a national security threat. In light of the lies around Joe Biden’s mental decline, it’s time we ask the question: Should it be illegal for a press secretary or high-ranking officials to knowingly lie about the president’s cognitive abilities? The answer is yes, it absolutely should.

President Joe Biden’s mental fitness has been a topic of concern for years, though not with left-wing media. The New York Times published a defense against age criticisms, citing ten experts who agreed that he had “a lot going in his favor” and that he wasn’t cognitively impaired. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough declared, “The president’s very sharp. He’s on top of everything.” Meanwhile, CNN defended Biden from “cheap fakes” supposedly posted by “right-wing media” showing the president wandering aimlessly.

Suddenly, however, the coverage is changing, with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post revealing an administration that worked overtime to cover up Biden’s cognitive decline. According to these reports, Biden’s senior advisers limited his schedule, carefully managed his public appearances and prepared detailed cheat sheets to ensure he can stick to basic talking points. These aren’t the actions one takes with a fully capable president — they’re the actions of handlers trying to shield a struggling leader from public scrutiny.

But it was some of the very people working behind the scenes to shield the public from the truth about Biden who went to friendly media outlets to lie about the president’s cognitive abilities.

The White House covered up the Joe Biden mental decline

Despite mounting evidence over the years, top administration officials continued to lie to the American people about Joe Biden.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly dismissed concerns about Biden’s fitness. She told us she can’t even keep up with the president’s schedule! She decried videos showing the decline as “cheap fakes,” and blamed everything from a cold to jetlag to explain away Biden’s behavior. She said she found it “confusing” that people would question his mental acuity.

“He is as sharp as ever, as I have known him to be in my engagement, in my experience with him. And I know when I walk into the Oval Office or see him on Air Force One, I have to be on top of my game,” she lied to the press after Biden’s debate debacle.

Similarly, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby defended Biden’s mental cognition. Noting he’s spent countless hours with him, Kirby claimed he never saw Biden show any cognitive issues that were on display at the presidential debate.

Vice President Kamala Harris, when asked about Biden’s capacity to serve another term, responded, “Joe Biden is a bold and vibrant leader who has shown time and time again his ability to deliver for the American people.” She also defended the president after the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report labeling him “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

“The way that the president’s demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts,” she said, adding that the report was “clearly politically motivated, gratuitous” and “inaccurate and inappropriate.”

These statements were not just spin — they’re lies designed to mislead the public.

Consequences to lying about the cognitive decline of Joe Biden

The consequences of this deception go far beyond partisan politics.

Whether it’s Joe Biden or Donald Trump, a president’s cognitive and physical health directly impact national security, foreign policy and the daily lives of Americans. If the administration is hiding the truth, how can Congress, our allies or the American people trust that critical decisions are being made competently? As worrisome, in cases like that of Biden, it’s not entirely clear who is, in fact, making critical decisions.

This is why it should be illegal for any high-ranking official to knowingly lie about the president’s health. There is precedent for such a law.

Corporate executives face severe penalties for making false or misleading statements about their company’s financial health because of the Securities and Exchange Act. If shareholders deserve the truth, why don’t American citizens? HIPAA prevents healthcare providers from falsifying or misrepresenting medical information. And, courtesy of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, it’s already a crime to lie to federal investigators. Extending this principle to public statements about the president’s health would ensure accountability.

It’s about accountability and national security

Critics will argue that such a law infringes on free speech or complicates executive privilege, but this is a matter of public trust.

Transparency about the president’s health is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. If a corporate CEO lied about their ability to lead, they’d be ousted in days. Why should the president’s staff be held to a lower standard when the stakes are infinitely higher? It’s not like there would be a low legal bar; it’s not easy to prove someone knowingly lied.

But if there’s evidence showing that to be the case, something must be pursued against the high-ranking staffer(s). The Wall Street Journal report offered some of the proof.

If the president was having an off day, meetings could be scrapped altogether. On one such occasion, in the spring of 2021, a national security official explained to another aide why a meeting needed to be rescheduled. “He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we’re going to address this tomorrow,” the former aide recalled the official saying.

You didn’t need a post-election report from The Wall Street Journal to know there was something wrong with Biden. I’ve been discussing the issue on Fox News and KTTH for years. He struggled to walk up a flight of stairs (or to just stay upright), and he frequently would get lost when responding to basic questions. We all knew something was wrong, but we were criticized as “right-wingers” spreading lies about Biden.

The Biden administration’s behavior has set a dangerous precedent and something should be done. By lying about Joe Biden’s mental fitness, they’ve jeopardized public trust in government and undermined national security. Making it illegal to lie about the president’s health would be a bold step toward restoring honesty and accountability in our government.

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