A small, tight-knit group in former President Joe Biden’s inner circle was running the White House like a “politburo,” and they were the “ultimate decision-makers” as Biden’s health and cognitive function continued to decline, according to the authors of a bombshell new book.
This group, dubbed the “politburo,” included a coterie of seasoned political veterans, including Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti and Bruce Reed — but also family members such as first lady Jill Biden and the president’s son Hunter, the authors of “Original Sin” claim.
“In terms of who was running the White House, it’s a small group of people that have been around,” “Original Sin” author Alex Thompson told PBS’ “Washington Week” on Friday. “Some people within the administration called them the Politburo. That’s the term we used in the book.”
Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain was at times part of the “politburo,” as was former senior adviser to the president Annie Tomasini. Also on the “politburo” was the first lady’s former top adviser and “work husband,” Anthony Bernal, whom The Post previously reported created a toxic workplace environment.
“And Joe Biden himself also is part of this. Joe Biden is not like — it’s not ‘Weekend at Bernie’s,’ right?” said co-author and CNN anchor Jake Tapper, referring to the movie about a dead guy who is wheeled around as part of an elaborate ruse.
“He has some purchase here. He has some agency. And he’s aware of some of what’s going on.”
Tapper added: “He’s aware of the fact that they are keeping the cabinet away from him, they are keeping some White House staffers away from him.”
Usually, the term “politburo” refers to the top echelon of a communist state. Many of the seasoned politicos had been around Joe Biden for decades. Regardless of official titles in his 2020 campaign and administration, the “politburo” generally called the shots and got Biden to agree.
“Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board,” one source familiar with the inner workings of the White House told the authors.
An unidentified cabinet secretary vented about the Politburo, saying, “I’ve never seen a situation like this before, with so few people having so much power. They would make huge economic decisions without calling [Treasury] Secretary Yellen.”
The Politburo had been forceful in rejecting and diminishing concerns about the former president’s age and mental acuity, according to the book. The advisers had generally seen “concerns about Biden’s age as simply a political vulnerability, not a serious limitation,” the book claims.
They believed that Biden was achieving real policy victories, entitling him, and them, to a second term, according to the book.
Former President Barack Obama had been leery about “hangers-on” in Joe Biden’s orbit, particularly on his 2020 campaign and stressed that “I don’t want him to be humiliated.”
Alumni of the Obama administration also spotted key differences in how Joe Biden’s presidency operated.
“Obama would hash it out with deputies and mid-level aides. Biden, by contrast, mostly met with the Politburo and his top national security aides,” the book said.
“Many of Biden’s own aides were also kept at arm’s length from the president.”
The bombshell book explained that, irrespective of official titles, “in practice, Bruce Reed was the real domestic policy adviser, Mike Donilon was the actual political director, Steve Ricchetti controlled Legislative Affairs, and Klain controlled a bit of everything.”
Mike Donilon, senior adviser
Donilon, who served as a senior adviser to Biden from the start of his presidency until January 2024 when he hopped over to the campaign, had been a close confidant of the former president since the 1980s.
During his time on the 2024 campaign, he raked in a jaw-dropping $4 million salary, according to “Original Sin.” Some outside observers, including Obama strategist David Axelrod, assessed that he was “tied to Biden emotionally that he could not accept the truth.”
Donilon, a former pollster and media consultant, was widely seen as a true believer in Biden who earned the former president’s mutual trust.
“The president valued Mike Donilon’s advice so much that aides would later joke that if he wanted, he could get Biden to start a war,” Thompson and Tapper wrote.
Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president
Ricchetti, who served as counselor to the president throughout Biden’s time in the White House, served as the 46th president’s chief of staff during the latter half of his vice presidency and worked on Biden’s campaign. He also previously served as the White House deputy chief of staff for operations in the Clinton administration.
During the Biden administration, Ricchetti played a key role in helping the former president steer through key legislative battles. At times, he would also weigh in on pressing political matters.
At one point, Ricchetti personally called a reporter of an unnamed media outlet off the record to refute claims from multiple sources about Biden’s health, according to the book. He also fumed after actor George Clooney penned a stunning op-ed urging Biden to drop out of the race.
“Ricchetti read it and was furious. Internally, he threatened to shut Clooney down—some of his colleagues thought he sounded like a mob boss,” the authors wrote.
Bruce Reed, deputy chief of staff for policy
Reed previously served as Biden’s chief of staff during the first half of his vice presidency, prior to Ricchetti later taking over that post. He is also an alumnus of the Clinton administration.
He was widely regarded as a “policy wonk” and was among the advisers who helped prep Biden for his disastrous debate against President Trump.
Ron Klain, ex-chief of staff
As Biden’s first chief of staff during his presidency, Klain was very influential and had sway over key decisions and messaging strategy — even after he left the White House, according to “Original Sin.”
Klain had been in Biden’s orbit since the 1980s during the former president’s Senate days. He also worked on the Clinton campaign in 2016.
He officially exited the White House in February 2023, but still retained influence on the former president and helped him prepare for his disastrous debate against Trump last June.
“Biden showed a particular deference to Klain even though his chief of staff was often more progressive. Biden had deep respect for Klain’s intellect. ‘Only one person here is smarter than me and it’s
Ron,’ aides heard him say,” the book claimed.
Hunter Biden and Jill Biden
Jill Biden had also been a key force in trying to shield her husband’s faux pas from the public in what some have dubbed operation “bubble wrap” and Hunter Biden was seen as a key force trying to prevent his father from dropping out of the 2024 race.
In the earlier stages of the former president’s political career, the first lady had been a “reluctant political spouse,” but she had significant influence throughout his administration, admonishing staffers at times for letting him ramble on too long in front of the cameras.
Hunter Biden had weighed heavily on his father during his second term, and some aides speculated it played a role in his decline.
“To understand Joe Biden’s deterioration, top aides told us, one has to know Hunter’s struggles,” the book said.
‘Plum jobs’
Many “politburo” members also brought key friends and family into plum Biden administration roles.
Donilon’s niece landed a role on the National Security Council, according to the book.
Reed’s daughter was a day scheduler for the president and Ricchetti’s children also found jobs across the government, “Original Sin” reported.
Top Biden allies have rejected many characterizations in the book, but Thompson explained that he “had stopped believing their denials for a while” after he kept hearing evidence that countered White House narratives.
“Original Sin” hit bookshelves last Tuesday.
Read the full article here
