'Auto-treason' under fire
'Biden aides seized presidential power
as they hid his decline, used auto-pen'
If Tapper's expose is correct, Amendment 25
points to a coup d’etat by progressive insiders
How could a tight-knit circle of progressive aides sidestep the 25th Amendment and use presidential powers to implement sweeping policy changes?
In another period of American history, many would have rightly cried, Treason! A coup d’etat against democracy by some treacherous palace guard!
Yet in today’s political climate, few are terribly shocked. Well, the thinking goes, of course these professional party people were simply doing whatever was necessary in order to stop dictator Trump.
Except that if the expose by Jake Tapper — no MAGA guy — and his coauthor Alex Thompson holds up, then Biden’s wife Jill, his son Hunter and numerous White House officials may well face an FBI investigation of a possible criminal conspiracy to seize and hold presidential power in contempt for the 25th Amendment, which spells out what is to be done when a president can’t function, and in violation of many other constitutional clauses and federal statutes regarding treason against the United States. (Thus far FBI chief Kash Patel, who has slammed Biden’s team for hiding the cognitive decline, has announced no investigation into the matter, but supports a House probe.)
In Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again (Penguin May 2025), the two reporters aren’t focused on criminality but on why Tapper and other reporters failed to land a story that seems to many to have been “hiding” in plain sight; why he and others were taken in by the White House’s stonewalling and misdirection concerning a cognitive trend that had begun in 2021, substantially worsened in 2023, and reached nursing home level by 2024, as the whole country saw on TV.
The Hill: Who was really running the country while Biden was president?
James Comer, Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has told Fox News that these "unelected bureaucrats" had an overwhelming influence over Biden and were possibly serving as "de facto" presidents in his stead.
"Today, we are calling on President Biden’s physician and former White House advisers to participate in transcribed interviews so we can begin to uncover the truth," Comer told the press.
Yet before we say this fuss is all about a trivial political matter — much ado about nothing — consider that if such an incident is allowed to become some sort of precedent (as in, “no worries, no one does anything about such situations”), then there is bound to be a recurrence. Only maybe next time the palace guard keeps a president prisoner, showing him or her in public from a secret studio, while enacting policies the elected person would never endorse.
In that regard, we in fact don’t know whether Biden was even dimly aware of some of the auto-pen actions of the little cabal.
It appears the cabal made no effort to apply the 25th Amendment to Biden’s situation.
The relevant clause reads,
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
The problem of Biden’s cognitive decline, as Tapper and Thompson have documented via many people with intimate knowledge of the coverup, was very well-known within the White House long before the disastrous 2024 campaign debate with Donald Trump, and hence before Vice President Kamala Harris’s rushed presidential candidacy.
In other words, the covert operators around Biden prevented Harris from exercising her constitutional right to become president under emergency conditions. Sure, bad blood between Jill Biden and Harris may have been a factor, but such a situation wouldn’t change what appears to have been a profound subversion of the essential pillar of rule of law in America.
Among presidential aides facing possible treason conspiracy charges are members of his “Politburo” (a joking reference to a powerful committee of the Communist Party). According to Tapper, Thompson and others, they are:
Mike Donilon (Senior Adviser and later campaign strategist)
Steve Ricchetti (Counselor to the President, former chief of staff)
Bruce Reed (Domestic Policy Adviser, former chief of staff to Vice President Biden)
Jill Biden (First Lady, described as a major force in shielding and advising the president)
Hunter Biden (President’s son, influential in personal and political decisions)
Ron Klain (Former Chief of Staff, remaining influential after leaving the official role)
Annie Tomasini (Senior Adviser, close to the Biden family and involved in daily operations)
Anthony Bernal (Jill Biden’s Chief Adviser, described as a powerful behind-the-scenes operator)
This group was described as the “final decision-makers,” with several sources stating that “five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.” They frequently acted as gatekeepers, often isolating Biden from both his cabinet and broader White House staff.
Jill Biden and Bernal were especially noted for their efforts to shield the president from scrutiny and for enforcing loyalty within the staff.
Tomasini and Bernal had “unusual access” to the private Biden residence and were involved in personal and political strategy decisions.
Klain shaped messaging and strategy for Biden — even after Klain’s official departure.
[ I checked names above with Perplexity.ai, which makes occasional errors.]
Tapper and Thompson said they spoke with four Biden cabinet secretaries for Original Sin, but they are not identified in that book. The book and related reporting do, however, include quotes from cabinet-level officials expressing frustration at being excluded from decision-making and having their access to the president sharply curtailed in 2023 and 2024. For example:
One unnamed cabinet secretary complained about major economic decisions being made without consulting Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, while another cabinet official described how interactions with Biden became so infrequent that information had to be funnelled through senior aides, rather than directly to the president.
Among major presidential orders promulgated during the period of Biden’s progressing cognitive decline are [lists compiled by Perplexity.ai; ai bots must be used with caution] :
Executive Order on Advancing U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure (January 14, 2025)
This order directed the defense and energy departments to lease federal sites for large-scale AI data centers, required integration of clean energy, and streamlined permitting for AI infrastructure projects. It aimed to position the U.S. as a leader in AI while balancing national security and environmental goals.
Biden issued a series of executive orders establishing the order of succession for several key agencies:
Homeland Security (EO 14135)
Justice Dept. (EO 14136)
Treasury (EO 14137)
Office of Management and Budget (EO 14138)
Office of the National Cyber Director (EO 14139)
These orders were seen as important for continuity of government during the transition period.
Executive Orders and Memoranda Related to Climate, Immigration, and Equity
Several major Biden-era executive orders were revoked by his successor, Donald Trump, but were in force during the last months of Biden’s term. These included:
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (EO 14008)
Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (EO 14009)
Creating a Comprehensive Regional Framework to Address Migration (EO 14010)
Restoring Faith in Legal Immigration Systems (EO 14012)
Rebuilding Refugee Resettlement Programs (EO 14013)
Establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (EO 14015)
While these were not all issued in the last six months, they remained significant and were subject to last-minute administrative actions and renewals.
Executive Order on Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback (January 2025)
This order focused on targeted economic recovery for communities that had not benefited from broader economic gains8.
Notable Auto-Penned Actions (July 2024–January 2025)
Jan 14, 2025. EO on Advancing AI Infrastructure, AI, clean energy, national security
Jan 3, 2025 EOs on Orders of Succession (DHS, DOJ, etc.) Continuity of government
Jan 2025 EO on Helping Left-Behind Communities Economic recovery. Ongoing Renewals/Actions on Climate, Immigration, Equity Maintained until revoked by successor
A number of actions were subsequently revoked by President Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, but they had remained in effect and were significant during Biden’s final months.
Several of Biden’s late-term executive orders and actions were of particular concern to the socialist or progressive elements within the Democratic Party. These concerns generally focused on whether the orders sufficiently advanced—or in some cases undermined—key priorities such as climate justice, labor rights, criminal justice reform and foreign policy.
The socialists would have been focused on these presidential actions that may have been taken in the name of the only occasionally coherent president:
Executive Order on Investing in America and Investing in American Workers (September 2024)
This order focused on supporting American workers and domestic investment. While progressives and socialists generally support such measures, they often criticize them if they are seen as favoring corporations over workers, lacking strong labor protections, or not going far enough in addressing income inequality.
Executive Order Establishing an Emergency Board for New Jersey Transit Labor Dispute (July 2024)
Socialists and labor advocates closely watch presidential interventions in labor disputes. The establishment of an emergency board can be seen as undermining the right to strike or as not fully supporting workers’ demands, depending on how the administration positions itself.
Environmental Justice and Climate Orders
Biden’s late-term executive actions included significant environmental justice initiatives, such as a ban on new oil and gas drilling across over 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters. While this was celebrated by many progressives, the socialist left has also been critical of Biden for earlier approvals of fossil fuel projects (like the Willow project), seeing such moves as inconsistent and insufficient for addressing what is termed the climate crisis.
Prison Reform and Immigration Orders
Orders related to prison reform and immigration were issued in the final days to solidify Biden’s legacy. Socialists and progressives generally support bold reforms in these areas but may criticize incrementalism or policies that fall short of full abolition or open borders.
5. Cuba Sanctions and Foreign Policy
In a move that surprised many, Biden issued a last-minute executive order to undo sanctions on Cuba and delist the nation as a state sponsor of terrorism. While this was likely welcomed by the socialist wing as a step toward ending Cold War-era policies, it also became a political flashpoint, with critics warning it could be used to paint Democrats as “beholden to socialists.” Tho the limited duration of the order made it a symbolic gesture, symbolism is important to Marxists eager to show influence inside upper reaches of the U.S. government.