Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) sparked controversy on Tuesday by claiming that former President Barack Obama and “his team” are “running the government, really.” During an interview with Newsmax’s “Wake Up America,” the New York Republican suggested that key figures from the Obama administration, including former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice, are operating behind the scenes in President Joe Biden’s administration.
Tenney drew a striking comparison between Biden and former Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, saying, “It’s just like a Soviet-style Politburo. He looked good to the public, and they maneuvered behind the scenes. And I suspect that’s exactly what’s going on”, reported by Raw Story. She described Andropov as “a decrepit, old Communist that they put” in charge of the USSR, suggesting a similar scenario is unfolding with Biden.
Furthermore, Tenney claimed that Biden’s debate performance was “a calculated pre-convention move to get Joe Biden out before” the election. She criticized the media’s reaction, stating, “What was really interesting was the fallout. The media, which knew better, who knew better, went on about how disastrous this was. But guess who came to the rescue and said, ‘Oh, no, no,’ other than Joe Biden’s family? It was President Obama, his team.”
Tenney emphasized her point by highlighting Obama’s continued presence in Washington, D.C. “The only president in American history to stay in Washington, to go from being a community organizer to worth an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, is in Washington, is behind the scenes, along with Susan Rice and all of his staff,” she said.
“So they’re running this government really, it seems to me,” Tenney claimed. “I don’t think there’s any other conclusion you can draw based on the evidence.” She went on to describe the situation as part of “this sort of globalist, we’re-going-to-run-the-entire-world situation.”
Despite the bold assertions, Tenney provided no actual evidence to support her claims. Her remarks have drawn significant attention and criticism for their speculative nature.
Currently representing New York’s 24th Congressional District, Tenney recently secured the Republican nomination for November’s election against Democratic challenger David Wagenhauser. Her comments are likely to stir further debate as the election approaches.