Jill Biden could face criminal charges if she helped to cover up her husband’s health decline, a department of justice official has suggested.
Leo Terrell, who works in the department’s civil rights division as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general, made the suggestion in a post on X.
“Elder abuse! Criminal charges??” he wrote, sharing a picture of the former first lady behind a desk on Air Force One.
It comes amid mounting speculation that Joe Biden’s inner circle attempted to keep secret his cancer diagnosis and declining cognitive ability during his time in office.
On Sunday, Mr Biden’s office announced that he has an “aggressive” form of incurable prostate cancer that has metastasised to the bone.
The 82-year-old sought medical attention after experiencing urinary symptoms, his spokesman said.
Some have suggested the apparent sudden diagnosis would have been spotted some time before it was made public, given the seriousness and advanced stage of the cancer.
Mr Terrell also published messages written of support by other users in response to his suggestion the former first lady should face charges.
“Elder abuse is a form of domestic violence and Dr Biden has a lot of explaining to do about her part in defrauding the American people and taxpayers,” one X user wrote, whom Mr Terrell reposted.
“I would never wish Joe Biden physical harm despite my personal political views; too bad his own family compromised his well being,” another wrote.
Last February, Dr Kevin O’Connor said there were “no new concerns” with the president’s physical and mental condition.
Allegations that those closest shielded the public from the extent of Mr Biden’s mental decline while serving as president have been laid bare in the book Original Sin, which hit shelves on Tuesday.
According to the authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, the president at one stage forgot the name of actor George Clooney and was closely managed by his wife, who allegedly protected the president from criticism and finished his thoughts for him.
The book does not mention, or allude to, Mr Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis.
Donald Trump fuelled speculation on Monday that Mr Biden’s cancer diagnosis may have been covered up, saying he was “surprised” the public was not told about his predecessor’s condition earlier.
Suggesting that the annual screening undertaken by Mr Biden when he was president should have picked up signs of the disease, Mr Trump added: “If you take a look it’s the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine.”
“There are things going on that the public wasn’t informed of.”
Mr Trump, who spent much of the 2024 election campaign bashing Mr Biden’s cognitive fitness, had said in a statement on Sunday that he was “saddened” by the diagnosis.