Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is calling for a full-scale congressional investigation into what he describes as a potential “historic deception” regarding Joe Biden’s mental capacity during his time in office. Appearing on Fox News Thursday night, Gingrich said there is growing evidence that top Democrats and White House insiders knew Biden was mentally unfit to govern—and kept that fact hidden from the American people.
“We now know a lot of them knew he was gone,” Gingrich told Jesse Watters. “The question is, who was actually making the decisions? Who was acting as the president when the president wasn’t capable?”
The former Speaker is demanding the establishment of either a joint House-Senate committee or a special bipartisan commission to examine the extent to which Biden’s cognitive decline affected presidential decision-making. Gingrich wants to know not just if Biden was mentally incapacitated, but who around him may have been acting in his stead—and what constitutional lines were crossed in the process.
“It’s not a political moment. It’s a profound, historic moment,” Gingrich said. “This is about trust. It’s about the Constitution. The American people deserve to know if they were being lied to—and who was really running the country.”
The push for an investigation gained traction after excerpts from journalist Chris Whipple’s upcoming book revealed shocking behind-the-scenes anecdotes. According to Whipple, former Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain admitted the president frequently “struggled and would fall asleep” during key debate prep sessions in 2023 and 2024. These revelations, coupled with Biden’s disastrous performance during the debate against then-candidate Donald Trump, have fueled speculation that Democratic leadership deliberately misled the public about Biden’s fitness.
Gingrich emphasized that this isn’t just about a single debate or election, but the broader implications of decision-making in a White House led by a potentially impaired commander-in-chief.
“What is the constitutional implication of having people who are not the president making these kinds of decisions?” Gingrich asked. “It requires a very in-depth look—day by day—at the decisions that were made and who made them.”
His remarks echo a growing sentiment among conservatives and even some moderates who feel the Democratic Party orchestrated a coordinated cover-up. After Biden’s humiliating debate performance last summer, the party moved swiftly to push him out of the race, ultimately replacing him with Kamala Harris—who then lost to Trump in the general election.
Democratic officials have largely remained silent on these growing concerns. However, whispers of internal dissent have begun surfacing. Even longtime allies like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer reportedly urged Biden to step aside following the debate debacle, which many insiders now concede was a long-overdue admission of the president’s deterioration.
Gingrich believes the American public is owed a thorough accounting of the final years of Biden’s presidency.
“Who lied about the president? Who made the decisions as though they were president?” he asked. “We need to know if there was a shadow presidency happening behind the scenes.”
He called for transparency not just for political accountability, but to safeguard the future of the presidency itself.
“If this can happen once, it can happen again,” Gingrich warned. “We need rules, oversight, and a national reckoning about what kind of leadership is acceptable—and how far staff or political operatives can go in assuming power behind closed doors.”
The call for an investigation is likely to put additional pressure on congressional Republicans, who now control both chambers, to act. If launched, such an inquiry would mark one of the most consequential constitutional reviews in modern history.
As the questions mount, Gingrich says one thing is clear: “The American people have a right to know who was actually running the country.”
