Sen. Coons calls concerns that Democrats covered up Biden’s health problems 'BS' and not 'relevant'
Staunch Biden ally Sen. Chris Coon, D-Del., dismissed concerns that Democratic leaders engaged in a cover-up of President Biden’s health leading up to the president ending his re-election bid on Sunday.
Coons appeared on "CNN This Morning" on Tuesday to assure voters that Vice President Kamala Harris will be the best candidate to run for president in Biden’s place in 2024 and admonished those wondering if the party was dishonest about the president’s frail condition.
"I think it’s BS," the lawmaker told anchor Kasie Hunt, dismissing concerns from critics and saying the issue was not "relevant."
Hunt asked Coons about this criticism, "I want to ask you, we know that one of the principal lines of attacks – and I‘ve talked to sources who say the polling shows this is a serious vulnerability – that Republicans are going to say that Kamala Harris knew that President Biden wasn‘t up to four more years."
"I mean, they would say that about you, I think as well," she told the senator, who supported Biden’s candidacy until the last possible moment.
Hunt continued: "And they‘re going to allege a cover-up. They‘re going to say, ‘She knew she covered it up.’ How do you answer that charge considering what we have seen transpire over the last month?"
Coons replied, "First, I think it‘s BS. Second. I don‘t think it‘s particularly relevant because what the American people are going to be looking at in November is Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris. And that is a fundamentally different race going forward. And a different electoral challenge, and a different direction for the American people than we were looking at before."
Elsewhere in the media appearance, the lawmaker insisted he did not see any major health problems with Biden prior to the debate.
"I never saw any episode or incident with Joe Biden as we saw on that debate stage. I don‘t think that there is a huge cover-up underway here, and I frankly don‘t think that matters to the discussion and the debate going forward," he said.
AFTER BIDEN DROPS OUT OF RACE, DOCTORS REVEAL WHY DECISION WAS BEST FOR HIS HEALTH
The interview came only two days after Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the race, following a month of growing pressure within the party to replace him. Party leaders like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reportedly, and major donors such as Hollywood A-lister George Clooney urged the president to quit after seeing his frail performance during June’s presidential debate.
After a little less than a month of Biden refusing to step aside, the president ended his campaign on Sunday and endorsed Harris to be his replacement on the Democratic ticket.
Critics have been accusing the administration of engaging in a cover-up of Biden’s issues. Earlier this month, Vanity Fair special correspondent Brian Stelter told CNN, "I think [the White House] also deserves to be scrutinized now about whether there was a cover-up and whether they were covering up something about Biden by keeping them away from the press."