Ex-Dem fundraiser Lindy Li says DNC seized top donors’ phones amid concerns about President Biden’s cognition

A Democratic fundraising veteran, Lindy Li, alleged on Wednesday that Democratic National Committee staff routinely confiscated the phones of top donors as part of internal handling of sensitive information, and that the practice concealed concerns she described about President Joe Biden’s cognitive performance. Li’s remarks were reported by Fox News Politics in connection with what the outlet described as a strained response to Biden’s forthcoming memoir announcement.

Li’s account centers on donor events and the handling of communications during high-level fundraising, which she said included phone seizures to prevent donors from taking or sharing information. She argued that the arrangement made it less likely that donor-level observations or questions would surface publicly, according to Fox News Politics.

Fox News Politics reported that Li criticized Biden in the context of a memoir launch that she said “implodes,” characterizing the overall reception as hostile or unwilling to engage. In the outlet’s reporting, Li framed her comments as an explanation for why she believed key donors would not seek out or support the book announcement.

Li also linked her claims about phone confiscation to what she described as a pattern of concern among major donors regarding Biden’s cognitive functioning. Fox News Politics reported the allegation as her view, describing it as a way the DNC could have limited what donors heard, recorded, or discussed outside closed settings.

The report did not cite a formal record, document, or on-the-record confirmation from the Democratic National Committee, Biden’s representatives, or any third-party watchdog to substantiate the phone-confiscation claim in the way it was presented. In the absence of such independent verification in the reporting provided, the allegation stands as an account from Li rather than a confirmed fact.

The practical effect of the allegation, if true, would involve donor transparency and information flow around major political fundraising events, including the terms under which attendees are permitted to keep or access personal devices. Measures that restrict phones at political events can be described by organizers as standard precautions for confidentiality, but Li’s contention is that the safeguards functioned in a way that obscured performance-related questions.

As of this publication, Fox News Politics had not presented an official response to the specific claims about phone confiscation and the motivations Li attributed to it. The next step for any resolution would be direct clarification or rebuttal from the DNC or Biden’s team, or the appearance of corroborating evidence from participants with first-hand knowledge.

Separately from the phone allegation, Li’s broader criticism is aimed at the public messaging surrounding Biden’s memoir announcement and the reaction she described as negative. That reaction, as reported, reflects a dispute within Democratic fundraising and donor circles over how the memoir should be received and promoted, though the reporting provided does not offer verified figures on sales expectations or staffing decisions.