Senate Democrats staged a near-total boycott of a Republican-led Senate hearing on Joe Biden’s alleged mental decline and cover-up, with only Senator Peter Welch in attendance. The hearing, titled “Unfit to Serve: How the Biden Cover-Up Endangered America and Undermined the Constitution,” saw Democratic ranking member Dick Durbin counterattacking Donald Trump’s remarks before leaving the chamber. Durbin highlighted Trump’s recent inaccurate statements, questioning the focus on Biden’s cognitive abilities.

The hearing featured three Republican witnesses, including former Trump officials and a legal scholar, discussing Biden’s alleged use of an autopen device and media coverage of his mental acuity. Texas Republican co-chair John Cornyn framed the panel as addressing a “constitutional crisis” and alleged cover-up during Biden’s final months in office, referencing a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.

Co-chair Eric Schmitt described the Democrats’ boycott as a refusal to confront uncomfortable truths about Biden’s condition, while the lone Democrat present, Welch, shifted the focus to Republicans’ broader abdication of legislative responsibilities rather than a Biden cover-up. Welch criticized the lack of substantive debates in the Senate and highlighted issues like the mounting debt and lack of bipartisan involvement in decision-making processes.

The hearing underscored the political divide over concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities and accountability in government leadership, with both parties presenting contrasting perspectives on the situation.