According to a justice department official, Jill Biden might be charged with a crime if she assisted in concealing her husband’s deteriorating health.

The recommendation was posted on X by Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general in the department’s civil rights division.

“Abuse of the elderly! He posted a photo of the former first lady behind a desk on Air Force One along with the caption, “Criminal charges??”

It coincides with growing rumors that Joe Biden’s inner circle tried to conceal his cancer diagnosis and deteriorating mental state while he was president.

Mr. Biden’s office declared on Sunday that he has bone metastases from a “aggressive” form of incurable prostate cancer.

According to his spokesperson, the 82-year-old sought medical assistance after developing symptoms related to his urinary system.

Given the severity and advanced stage of the cancer, some have argued that the seemingly unexpected diagnosis should have been discovered sooner rather than later.

In response to his suggestion that the former first lady should be charged, Mr. Terrell also posted messages from other users expressing support.

Mr. Terrell reposted an X user’s comment that read, “Elder abuse is a form of domestic violence and Dr. Biden has a lot of explaining to do about her part in defrauding the American people and taxpayers.”

Another wrote, “Despite my personal political beliefs, I would never wish Joe Biden physical harm; too bad his own family compromised his well-being.”

Last year, Mr. Biden, the longest-serving president in US history, received a clean health report from his physician.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor stated in February of last year that the president’s physical and mental health were not causing any new worries.

The book Original Sin, which was released on Tuesday, exposes claims that those closest to Mr. Biden protected the public from the full scope of his mental illness while he was president.

The president was closely supervised by his wife, who allegedly shielded him from criticism and completed his thoughts for him, according to authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. At one point, the president even forgot the name of actor George Clooney.

Mr. Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis is not mentioned or alluded to in the book.

On Monday, Donald Trump stoked rumors that Mr. Biden’s cancer diagnosis might have been concealed by expressing surprise that the public was not informed sooner about his predecessor’s illness.

According to Mr. Trump, “if you take a look it’s the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine,” implying that Mr. Biden’s yearly screening during his presidency should have detected indications of the illness.

“Something is happening that the public was not aware of.”

In a statement released on Sunday, Mr. Trump, who criticized Mr. Biden’s cognitive fitness for a large portion of the 2024 election campaign, said he was “saddened” by the diagnosis.