Why Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis is a time for prayers - and questions. | Opinion

The news of Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis had a unifying effect at first, as voices from across the political spectrum expressed wishes for successful treatment and a return to good health.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” President Trump posted. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

Other expressions of bipartisan support followed. That atmosphere lasted for about 15 minutes. Then came waves of aggressive questions asking if this adds another layer of deceit to the already documented evidence of the Biden White House and other Democrats covering up his cognitive decline. Many Democrats replied with a scolding for anyone who would spoil the atmosphere of sympathy for Biden’s plight by reigniting the controversies surrounding his diminished condition in office.

As the saying goes, two things can be true at the same time. In this case, the first is: Biden deserves the prayers and best wishes of a nation unified in the hope for a good outcome. The second is: The timing here is beyond strange, and in view of the outright fraud his allies committed in arguing for his fitness for re-election, questions are not only appropriate but necessary.

There is no element of pursuing those answers that contradicts the expressions of compassion properly sent Biden’s way. In fact, the most important thing to understand about the righteous curiosity aimed at this new medical news is that very little of it constitutes fingers pointed at Biden. The foundation of this deepening scandal is that he was scarcely able to fulfill the basic functions of the presidency; it is hard to imagine him as the mastermind of a deep and complex gas-lighting of the American people in a devious attempt to retain power.

Those dark ambitions fell to his administration, his party and his media protection racket. Many in those corridors are feeling the sting of properly shattered reputations, not simply for absurdly telling America he was fully fit for a second term, but for smearing those who dared to trust their eyes and ears when presented ample evidence to the contrary.

The call for congressional hearings

As if further evidence was needed, the release of the 2023 interview of Biden by Special Counsel Robert Hur was a resounding coda to the symphony of lies crafted by years of willingness by conspirators to subject America to the dangers of a second Biden term. These acts of individual and collective treachery run so deep that there is a growing appetite for full-scale congressional hearings compelling a wide range of bad actors to answer those infamous questions: What did you know, and when did you know it?

Whether these inquiries come in hearings or some other setting, the American people now have an additional category of questions. Did the administration also conceal the cancer diagnosis? As the president and his team waved off obvious evidence of cognitive struggle, were they also hiding a dire cancer prognosis that would have further hindered his re-election bid?

That answer is not so obvious. As social media sprang to life with the accusations of countless junior oncologists certain of a newly found deception, I sought a variety of medical opinions from actual professionals, ideally without an ax to grind.

The bottom line: a cancer as advanced as Biden’s can indeed arise this quickly, metastasizing into bone in the time since his last physical. But it does not happen often. That means people who have brazenly lied to us about closely related matters now want us to trust them with this cancer news. That’s a big ask.

So rather than hash this out in the court of public opinion, let’s pursue that option of a congressional hearing. The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability would be the proper setting. A thick pile of subpoenas would be in order, seeking the testimony of a wide variety of officials from the Biden White House and Democratic party. As the most consequential figures atop this scandal, former First Lady Jill Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris would be the best first witnesses.

Why is this necessary? There are those who might say that since Biden exited a race, which Harris subsequently lost, why dredge up all of this after the fact?

It is simple. The willingness to recklessly subject America to a second term of a mentally depleted president is an act of colossal betrayal. We deserve to know whether there was an accompanying attempt to conceal a cancer diagnosis as well. There must be accountability for such a coordinated breach of the public trust. Many of this scheme’s participants were elected officials who sang those familiar songs of how sharp he was, how impressive “behind closed doors.” Memories should remain long, allowing voters to assess the political futures of anyone who was willing to sign on to this subterfuge.

So, to summarize, there are two things that would be good to see as the year unfolds: news of Biden’s return to good health, and a reckoning for those who tried to dupe a nation to keep him in power.

This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM.