A Politico Magazine column published 7 July by Michael Schaffer details a pattern in which staff for Eleanor Holmes Norton—Washington, D.C.’s 88-year-old, non-voting delegate to the U.S. House—repeatedly retract or qualify her on-the-record comments to reporters. Norton told NBC News correspondent Sahil Kapur in early June, and again on 25 June, that she intended to run for re-election. In both cases, her office issued written statements within hours saying she had not reached a final decision and was still consulting family and advisers. The conflicting messages have prompted a wider debate among political journalists over whether quotes from ageing lawmakers should be published when aides swiftly disavow them, and how candid the press should be about possible cognitive decline. Mediaite, National Review and other outlets picked up the story, arguing that voters deserve clarity on an office-holder’s capacity to serve. Norton’s office has not explained the discrepancies, and the delegate has yet to make a formal announcement about a 2026 campaign. The episode highlights growing scrutiny of the advanced age of many members of Congress and the responsibility of news organisations to vet their public statements.