Ian Sams, a former spokesman for President Joe Biden, known for his stint as a "Grillary Clinton" apron model, had a surprisingly limited interaction with the President during his tenure at the White House.
This revelation was brought to light by Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, during an interview with Sams.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, Sams was at the forefront of the White House's response to Special Counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
The report, released in February 2024, painted Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." Sams, however, became the primary voice addressing the President's apparent cognitive decline.
Sams, in a press conference following the report's release, criticized Hur for "making gratuitous and inappropriate criticisms of the President," suggesting that these criticisms were politically motivated. He was widely quoted by mainstream media outlets for his claim that Hur was the "first special counsel in history not to indict anybody."
However, this statement was proven false. Despite Sams' insistence that Hur's report found no evidence of Biden willfully retaining and disclosing classified materials, the report explicitly stated that investigators "uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials."
Comer highlighted the fact that Hur, who interviewed Biden for over 10 hours across two days, had more interaction with the President than Sams. This revelation aligns with the known modus operandi of the White House under Biden's administration, where access to the President was limited to a select group of longtime aides. These aides effectively managed the country while Biden was otherwise engaged, and any questioning of Biden's fitness to serve was met with punitive measures for disloyalty.
Despite the controversy surrounding Biden's cognitive health, Sams continued to defend the President, even after a disastrous CNN debate in July 2024. When questioned about a report suggesting that Biden "increasingly appeared confused or listless," and required daily naps during debate preparation, Sams dismissed these allegations based on his limited personal experience. "No, I've gotta say that doesn't look anything like the president that I know," he stated on MSNBC. "When I deal with him, he's sharp. He's asking tough questions."
Sams, often referred to as "the Forrest Gump of political failure," left the White House in August 2024 to join the Kamala Harris campaign, adding another questionable entry to his political resume. Prior to his senior role at the White House, Sams was known for his role as the national press secretary for Harris's unsuccessful 2020 primary campaign, which ended prematurely in 2019.
He was also responsible for a poorly executed photoshop job and was criticized for accusing a BuzzFeed reporter of promoting toxic "whiteness" after a mild critique of Harris's debate performance.
Before his ascent to the White House, Sams was recognized for modeling the "Grillary Clinton" apron during his time as regional press secretary for Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016.
His career trajectory, marked by a series of political missteps, continues to be a topic of discussion and critique.
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