Hillary Clinton doubted Biden's 2024 chances well before he exited race, says ex-WH aide Ron Klain
Washington, DC: Former President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, told House investigators that both Hillary Clinton and Jake Sullivan expressed concerns about the 82-year-old political viability long before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Klain voluntarily appeared for a transcribed interview with staff from the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, July 24, where he spoke for over five hours.
The session is part of an ongoing Republican-led probe into whether Biden aides attempted to conceal signs of mental decline during his presidency.
Hillary Clinton and Jake Sullivan raised concerns about Joe Biden’s political viability 'by 2024'
According to a source familiar with the testimony, Ron Klain said that the former secretary of state and the former national security advisor individually approached him with concerns about Joe Biden’s political viability “by 2024.”
Sullivan reportedly told Klain that Biden “was less effective in 2024 compared to 2022,” while Clinton shared similar worries about the then-president’s chances in the upcoming election cycle.
While the source did not confirm whether concerns about Biden’s mental acuity were directly cited, the timing of the discussions, months before Biden dropped out of the race, raises questions about internal confidence in his leadership.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for Sullivan, denied the account. “Jake did not have a conversation with Ron about Joe Biden running for president before the debate,” she told Fox News Digital.
Ron Klain defends Joe Biden’s mental acuity, admits signs of aging
While defending Joe Biden’s ability to govern, Ron Klain acknowledged to committee staff that the then-president showed signs of aging. “Mr Klain stated that President Biden often confused names and proper nouns, and it got worse over time,” the source revealed.
Despite this, Klain said he believed Biden was mentally sharp enough to serve as president and “was not too old to run.” The former chief of staff also reportedly said there was no reason to doubt the mental fitness of Biden’s 2024 opponent, President Donald Trump.
Klain became the sixth Biden administration official to testify in Chairman James Comer’s ongoing investigation. Though the session was mostly conducted by staff, Comer himself made an appearance, along with Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
Both lawmakers described Klain as a credible witness. “I think he is telling what he knows accurately,” Biggs told. Khanna echoed the sentiment, saying, “He answered every single question. He was fully cooperative.”
Klain declined to speak with reporters before or after the closed-door session.
Subpoenaed Joe Biden staffers stay silent
Three former Joe Biden aides, Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, and Dr Kevin O’Connor, appeared under subpoena and invoked the Fifth Amendment, declining to answer questions from the committee.
Other key figures, including longtime Biden aide Ashley Williams and former staff secretary Neera Tanden, joined Klain in cooperating through voluntary, transcribed interviews. Jeff Zients, Biden’s final chief of staff, has also been requested to appear.
Sources familiar with the Biden team’s position have criticized the investigation, calling it politically motivated. “Republicans’ probe [is] dangerous,” one source said. “It’s an attempt to smear and embarrass.”
“They hope for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ can prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,” they added.
