Spin Cycle: Joe Biden Is Out, And The Fix Is In

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

During any normal week, the White House-approved talking points and media narratives come together on the Sunday political shows. But as the last week has been anything but normal — and the major news of the weekend dropped after the Sunday shows had concluded — the spin has gathered in a different place: X.

On Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden dropped a massive-but-predictable bomb on the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole when he announced that he planned to exit the 2024 presidential race and then quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to pick up where he’d left off.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he said.

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

And very quickly, minus a few notable exceptions — *ahem* Barack Obama — the party power brokers began to fall in line.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her. We’ve lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution.”

“Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her,” they added. “America’s future depends on it

Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton pic.twitter.com/R7tYMFWbsu

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) July 21, 2024

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA):

I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/UWMsVmOk8M

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 22, 2024

Twice failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D-GA): “I’ve known Vice President Kamala Harris for a long time. She’s a tenacious fighter, a champion for our rights & defender of our democracy. United, she will lead us as we defeat Donald Trump this November. I am proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as our Democratic nominee. Let’s go!”

I’ve known Vice President Kamala Harris for a long time.

She’s a tenacious fighter, a champion for our rights & defender of our democracy. United, she will lead us as we defeat Donald Trump this November.

I am proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as our Democratic…

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) July 21, 2024

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “Four years ago I was the first Member of Congress to endorse Kamala Harris for President. So honored to endorse @kamalaharris again for President. Last weekend I had the honor to ride on Air Force Two with Vice President Harris. Next year Kamala Harris will be on Air Force One.”

Four years ago I was the first Member of Congress to endorse Kamala Harris for President. So honored to endorse @KamalaHarris again for President.

Last weekend I had the honor to ride on Air Force Two with Vice President Harris. Next year Kamala Harris will be on Air Force One. pic.twitter.com/2rUrnDLw6N

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 21, 2024

All 50 Democratic Party state chairs:

All 50 Democratic party state chairs back Kamala Harris, per Reuters https://t.co/p5yhNt3KHl

— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) July 22, 2024

And while it’s true that neither Biden’s endorsement nor any of the others guarantee Harris the nomination, the system does appear to many to be rigged in her favor. As CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings said earlier in the week, the “party of democracy” was effectively “organizing a coup” against a sitting President despite the fact that he’d already won the party’s primary.

“I feel like I need to take up for the president here,” Jennings said, prompting laughs from the panel. “Because he won millions and millions of votes to earn the Democratic nomination, and I find it delicious that the ‘party of democracy’ is now organizing a coup against the sitting President of the United States. It’s crazy!”

Jennings was far from the only person to see it that way, and Outkick host Tomi Lahren suggested that the coup was only just beginning: “Notice all the important folks Schumer Pelosi Obama Jeffries Have not endorsed Kamala. The coup ain’t over folks. They’ve got one ‘burden’ left. Her name is Kamala.”

Notice all the important folks

Schumer
Pelosi
Obama
Jeffries

Have not endorsed Kamala.

The coup ain’t over folks. They’ve got one “burden” left. Her name is Kamala.

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) July 21, 2024

Government Union’s Top Workers’ Rights Official Mistreated Employees, Probe Finds

A top American Federation of Government Employees official made life miserable for his employees while leading an office dedicated to ensuring that federal employees are not mistreated, an investigation found.

Jeremy A. Lannan, the union’s National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices (WFP), was tasked with “promot[ing] civil, human, and workers’ rights for the more than 700,000 federal and D.C. government employees represented by AFGE.” But an internal investigation obtained by The Daily Wire shows that Lannan frequently engaged in the type of behavior he was meant to prevent.

Lannan oversaw “a workplace where it is not uncommon for WFP employees to be demeaned… and intimidated,” an investigation by the Potomac Law Group found. AFGE hired Potomac to investigate Lannan after two employees complained about his leadership. The investigation also found turnover among Lannan’s employees was “extremely high.”

Lannan’s executive assistant told the Potomac Law Group that the union boss “acts like he owns me.” She said he uses a “fear factor” to manage his employees to the point where she had trouble eating or sleeping, and that he is “spiraling.”

Another subordinate, who manages cases in which the union fights for employees who say the federal government discriminated against them, said Lannan “may be Jekyll or Hyde on any given day” and is “losing it.”

She said she receives “barrages of emails accusing” her of being disrespectful of his position, and his “combative” “outbursts” are so common that she has sought therapy.

On May 7, AFGE National Vice President Arnold Scott charged Lannan with violating AFGE’s constitution by “bullying and creating a hostile work environment,” adding that “his retaliation against these employees for filing is conduct unbecoming a union member.”

“These charges are so serious that removal should be the penalty because of the legal liability that AFGE could face. There needs to be a clear message sent that this type of conduct will not be tolerated by officers of AFGE,” the charging document said.

AFGE and Lannan did not return requests for comment from The Daily Wire. Lannan is still listed on the web page listing the union’s top three leaders, and is running for president of the public-sector union in its election next month.

Appointed to his position in 2018, Lannan boasted that he was “making history” as the first man to oversee the woman-centric office. Lannan, who is gay, called himself “my sister’s keeper,” given his mandate to stop federal bosses from mistreating employees, particularly females. His official AFGE bio states that under Lannan’s leadership, “AFGE furthered its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by developing additional programs and constituency groups” including black, Asian, and Hispanic union members.

Jeremy Lannan, national vice president, AFGE Women and Fair Practices, was the guest speaker for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month program held in the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia / Department of Defense

Jeremy Lannan, national vice president, AFGE Women and Fair Practices, was the guest speaker for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month program held in the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia / Department of Defense

Five additional employees told the Potomac Law Group that Lannan had treated them similarly, evidence of “a prevalent trend of employee mistreatment,” the report concluded.

One described a pattern of “erratic” behavior and “manipulation,” calling Lannan a “bully.” For example, she said at AFGE’s 2023 Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference, Lannan “slammed his hand down” so hard “that the table shook.”

Another employee said Lannan frequently yelled and treated his employees as “indentured servants.”

Another employee said he “bullies, berates, and belittles” employees. Still another said he made “demeaning comments.”

In response, Lannan—whom the Department of Defense tapped to lead a Pride Month celebration—denied the allegations, telling the investigator that one of the complainants had engaged in misconduct. Lannan also claimed that he “receives unfavorable treatment by AFGE” because he is gay, and called the investigation “an example of negative action being taken against him because he is gay.”

Union presidency campaign flyer / JeremyLannan.com

Union presidency campaign flier / JeremyLannan.com