This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Even Democrats in Congress now have begun admitting they've seen evidence of Joe Biden's diminished mental capabilities.

His acuity long has been a target for critics, what with his speeches that misidentify people, even his family members, his wild, and demonstrably false, claims about Amtrak ridership, his bullying of various people with "You're a dog-faced, pony soldier," and much, much more.

The issue was raised in profile when Robert Hur, a special counsel investigating Biden for taking secret government papers and keeping them in his private office, his home, even his garage, released his report.

He found Biden probably committed those offenses but recommended no charges because of his "diminished" capacity. He concluded a jury likely would view him as an old man with memory problems, as at one point Biden was unable to remember when he was vice president.

Now a report from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal revealed the stunner that, "President Biden has shown signs of poor cognitive performance in private meetings with congressional lawmakers, as his age and mental acuity continue to come into question ahead of November's presidential election."

Biden is 81, and many Americans openly admit in polling they doubt his ability to do what is required of him as president.

The report explains that "many Republicans" and even "some Democrats" have confirmed the president shows his age in private meetings.

The Journal reported it spoke with 45 lawmakers and administration officials "about the president's mental performance."

"Most of the people interviewed by the outlet who were critical of Biden's performance were Republicans, although some Democrats said the president showed his age in several exchanges," the Fox report said.

Those were people who were in meetings with Biden or were briefed on them. Some Democrats "did not express concerns" about Biden's acuity.

The report detailed: "When meeting with congressional leaders in January to negotiate a deal to send additional funding to Ukraine, Biden spoke so softly at times that some people struggled to hear him, five people familiar with the meeting told the Wall Street Journal. The president read from notes to make obvious points, paused for extended periods, and even closed his eyes for so long that some people in the meeting wondered if he had tuned out."

Six people who reported on a meeting in February between Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed Biden thought a policy change that already had taken place was just a study.

"I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I'd go to his house. He's not the same person," concluded Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who formerly was House Speaker.

He's now perceived, the report said, as "an aging president with poor cognitive ability at times."

He's running for re-election now for a term that would put him at 86 by the time he would be leaving office.

White House officials claim it's all politics.

"Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders, and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment," claimed White House spokesman Andrew Bates. "Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues."

The report noted that Democrats also have criticized President Donald Trump for several speech slipups.

When Trump was president, he took a cognitive test and reported he "aced" it. Biden has refused to participate in such an event.

But he's insisted he was vice president during the COVID pandemic. He wasn't. And he's mixed up both family members and his cabinet appointees.

He's publicly recalled talking to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in 2021, even though Kohl died in 2017. And he said during a 2021 summit he talked with former French President Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996.

The report pointed out that actually, "Americans have had limited opportunities to observe Biden in unscripted moments, as he has shown a reluctance to give media interviews."