Hold onto your hats, folks— a bombshell book has just dropped, claiming a shadowy clique dubbed the “politburo” was the real force steering the Biden White House.
According to the New York Post, A new release titled "Original Sin" by authors Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper alleges that a tight inner circle, including key advisers and family, sidelined others to control decisions amid growing concerns over former President Joe Biden’s health and mental sharpness.
This so-called “politburo,” a term borrowed from communist hierarchies but here describing Biden’s elite guard, reportedly included longtime loyalists like Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Bruce Reed, and even family members such as First Lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden.
Others, like former Chief of Staff Ron Klain and the First Lady’s ex-adviser Anthony Bernal, also held sway in this exclusive club, many of whom had been with Biden for decades through campaigns and administrations.
The book paints a picture of a White House where this group didn’t just advise—they dictated, getting Biden to sign off on major calls while brushing off worries about his age as mere political baggage.
As Thompson put it on PBS, “In terms of who was running the White House, it’s a small group.” Well, no kidding—turns out a handful of insiders can outmaneuver an entire administration’s worth of staff and cabinet members.
Interestingly, Biden himself wasn’t just a puppet; co-author Jake Tapper notes he had “some agency” and knew his team was keeping cabinet and staff at bay.
Yet, as Tapper also said, Biden was aware of being isolated. If that’s agency, it sounds more like signing off on your seclusion—hardly the mark of a leader in command.
An unnamed source in the book quipped, “Five people were running the country.” If true, that’s a stark reminder that unchecked loyalty can sometimes shrink a democracy down to a boardroom.
Jill Biden, initially hesitant in her political role, emerged as a fierce protector, leading what staff called “operation bubble wrap” to shield her husband’s public stumbles, even scolding aides for letting him ramble on camera.
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, reportedly played a heavy role in pushing his father to stay the course, with some aides suggesting his struggles weighed on the president’s decline—a heartbreaking, if troubling, dynamic.
Then there’s the web of nepotism: “politburo” members like Donilon, Reed, and Ricchetti brought relatives into key administration roles, from the National Security Council to presidential scheduling, raising eyebrows about just how tight this circle was.
On the policy front, Bruce Reed acted as the de facto domestic policy guru, Mike Donilon shaped political strategy with a $4 million campaign salary, Steve Ricchetti dominated legislative fights, and Ron Klain influenced nearly everything, even after stepping down as chief of staff.
These weren’t just advisers; they were the administration’s backbone, often bypassing others like Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on massive economic decisions, as one frustrated cabinet secretary lamented in the book.
While top Biden allies have dismissed the book’s claims, Thompson insists contradictory evidence backs their story—a clash that leaves us wondering just how much of this “politburo” tale hits the mark, though the pattern of exclusion speaks louder than denials.
