Former DOJ official Xochitl Hinojosa called out Democrats on Tuesday for "lying to everybody" about Biden after the Hur report was released and the Democratic Party deemed it "gratuitous."

Scrutiny over former President Joe Biden’s decline is already testing 2028 hopefuls, particularly those who were involved in his administration. The announcement that Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer on Sunday came amid a fresh reckoning in the party over the former president’s mental acuity and whether he should have withdrawn

Some Democrats on Sunday expressed a collective responsibility for the party's 2024 election loss amid concerns about former President Biden's mental fitness. The big picture: Audio obtained by Axios from Biden's October 2023 interviews with special counsel Robert Hur,

“Constant lying and gaslighting the public about Biden’s health has cost the Democratic Party the public’s trust. Rebuilding it first requires the courage and honesty to admit to what happened,” he continued.

After Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis and Representative Gerry Connolly’s death, some in the party want more elected officials, as one Democrat put it, to seek an earlier “escape hatch from politics.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) placed blame at the feet of the Democratic Party for supporting former President Joe Biden’s bid for reelection last year, arguing party leaders blinded by loyalty failed to listen to voters who wanted a “younger” candidate.

The focus on the former president comes as the party needs to look forward rather than backward to exit the political wilderness.

Joe Biden's time in public office is now behind him, but his age and mental acuity have become a litmus test for the next leaders in his party.

Democratic Party strategist James Carville said that former President Biden's decline was clearly apparent to him and most of the voting public prior to the 2024 election.