The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into alleged efforts by the Biden administration to conceal President Joe Biden’s mental decline is picking up steam, with more high-ranking former White House officials set to testify behind closed doors in the coming weeks.
Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has secured interviews with several top aides to Biden from his presidency, including former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, senior counselor Steve Richetti, senior adviser Mike Donilon, policy deputy Bruce Reed, and communications strategist Anita Dunn. The committee will hear from Klain, Richetti, and Donilon later this month, with Reed and Dunn scheduled for early August.
“These individuals had a front-row seat to the day-to-day operations in the White House and were reportedly part of what some called the ‘politburo’—the inner circle making critical decisions,” Comer said, referencing Original Sin, a recently released book by Axios reporter Alex Thompson and CNN host Jake Tapper.
Comer’s probe is centered on whether Biden's aides shielded the public and Congress from signs of cognitive decline and whether they took steps to run the government in his name—potentially without his awareness. One line of inquiry is whether aides routinely used the presidential “autopen” to sign official documents without Biden's direct involvement.
President Biden has firmly denied any suggestion that his staffers acted on his behalf without his knowledge or direction.
The investigation also includes testimony from Biden’s long-time physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who is scheduled to appear before the committee on July 9. O’Connor is expected to be asked about the president’s reported “aggressive” prostate cancer diagnosis and whether he believes Biden has been mentally fit to serve.
Two other former Biden aides, Ashley Williams and Annie Tomasini, will testify on July 11 and July 18, respectively. Additionally, Comer has subpoenaed Anthony Bernal, a former top aide to First Lady Jill Biden, to testify later this month after Bernal reportedly backed out of an earlier interview.
Comer’s team is also pursuing testimony from Biden’s second chief of staff Jeff Zients, along with three former communications officials: Karine Jean-Pierre, Andrew Bates, and Ian Sams. Jean-Pierre, who served as White House press secretary, recently left the Democratic Party and is now an independent. She is preparing to release a memoir critical of the two-party system and detailing her experience as a spokesperson during Biden’s presidency.
In testimony last month, former senior Biden adviser Neera Tanden told the committee she had “minimal” interaction with the president and no knowledge of what occurred after she submitted documents for approval via autopen. Comer said her comments point to a troubling lack of transparency inside the administration.
“Ms. Tanden made it clear that key White House decisions may have been processed entirely by aides—without the President’s direct input or awareness,” Comer said.
This investigation is one of several congressional efforts looking into how the White House may have shielded the public from Biden’s cognitive health issues during his time in office. Whether these interviews will bring concrete answers remains to be seen, but the committee appears determined to continue pulling on the thread.
