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By Aila Slisco
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Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on Thursday questioned whether President Joe Biden is "making important decisions about our country" and asked the president to "do what he knows is right."
The Context
Biden has been under increasing pressure to withdraw his candidacy in this year's presidential election following a disastrous performance in last month's debate with former President Donald Trump. At least 17 sitting Democratic lawmakers had urged the president to step aside as of early Thursday evening.
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There has been increasing speculation about the president's mental and neurological health due to his lethargic and at times confusing debate performance, with some claiming that White House staff have been attempting to hide Biden's deterioration from the public.
On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas for Biden aides Ashley Williams, Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, alleging that they were "running interference for President Biden and doing the President's job for him amid his declining cognitive state."
Ian Sams, spokesperson for the White House Office of Counsel to the President and special assistant to the president, denounced the subpoenas as a "baseless political stunt" designed to produce anti-Biden "headlines" in an email to Newsweek.
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What We Know
Gluesenkamp Perez added her voice to the chorus of doubt about Biden's candidacy and fitness for office just before the president was set to participate in a potentially consequential news conference at this year's NATO conference in Washington, D.C.
"Like most people I represent in Southwest Washington, I doubt the President's judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors," Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement to Oregon NBC affiliate KGW.
"Americans deserve to feel their president is fit enough to do the job," she continued. "The crisis of confidence in the President's leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first."
Views
The office of Gluesenkamp Perez declined Newsweek's request for comment on whether the congresswoman was calling on Biden to resign his office or drop out of the presidential race.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Biden campaign via email on Thursday night.
While only a relatively small number sitting Democratic lawmakers have urged Biden to drop out, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on Thursday found that 62 percent of Democratic voters want Biden to end his 2024 presidential campaign.
What's Next
Biden has repeatedly said that he has no intention of dropping out of the race. Vice President Kamala Harris, perhaps the president's most likely replacement should he exit the contest, has also publicly offered strong support for Biden to remain at the top of the ticket.
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