Latest news with #AshleyWilliams
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Biden cover-up probe heats up as another ex-White House aide sits down with GOP
A former top White House advisor is appearing before House Oversight Committee investigators on Friday as GOP lawmakers probe whether ex-President Joe Biden's top aides covered up evidence of his mental and physical decline. Ashley Williams, who served as deputy director of Oval Office Operations during the Biden administration, is sitting with investigators behind closed doors for a transcribed interview around 11 a.m. Friday. She said nothing to reporters on the way into the meeting room, which is now closed to all except Williams, her lawyers, and members of the House Oversight Committee and their staffs. Meanwhile, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, made her second surprise appearance in the committee meeting room this week. She declined to speak to reporters on the way inside, stating she was running late. Crockett was the only lawmaker seen arriving at the interview, which is expected to be staff-led. Williams is the third member of the former president's White House inner circle to meet with committee staffers in Comer's probe in recent weeks. In addition to whether senior aides covered up Biden's alleged decline, Comer is looking at whether any presidential orders were signed via autopen without the former commander-in-chief's knowledge. Any allegations of wrongdoing so far have been denied by the ex-president's allies. But Republican investigators have pointed to Biden's disastrous June 2024 debate and subsequent revelations in the media that there were more concerns from Biden's inner circle about his fitness for office than previously known. Williams was one of three then-Biden aides called before Comer's House Oversight Committee in July 2024 to discuss the former president's mental state, but the White House at the time called it a "baseless political stunt" to NBC News. Her appearance on Friday comes two days after ex-Biden White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor briefly sat down with investigators on Wednesday. O'Connor's encounter with the committee lasted roughly 30 minutes, with the doctor invoking the Fifth Amendment for all questions except his name. "It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment," Comer said in a statement after O'Connor's appearance. "Dr. O'Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden's health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States. Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a cover up from happening again. We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve." O'Connor's lawyers said he did so out of concerns that House investigators would violate doctor-patient privilege. "This Committee has indicated to Dr. O'Connor and his attorneys that it does not intend to honor one of the most well-known privileges in our law - the physician patient privilege. Instead, the Committee has indicated that it will demand that Dr. O'Connor reveal, without any limitations, confidential information regarding his medical examinations, treatment, and care of President Biden," the attorney statement said. "Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of a physician, could result in revocation of Dr. O'Connor's medical license, and would subject Dr. O'Connor to potential civil liability. Dr. O'Connor will not violate his oath of confidentiality to any of his patients, including President Biden."
Fox News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Inside longtime Biden aide's marathon closed-door grilling in House GOP cover-up probe
Ashley Williams, a longtime ally of former President Joe Biden, met with House investigators behind closed doors for nearly six hours Friday as Republicans probe allegations the Democrat's top aides hid his mental decline. A source familiar with the transcribed interview told Fox News Digital Williams said she did not "recall" various things "an untold number of times." "Examples include she could not recall if she spoke with President Biden in the last week, if teleprompters were used for Cabinet meetings, if there were discussions about President Biden using a wheelchair, if there were discussions about a cognitive test, if she discussed a mental or physical decline of President Biden, if she ever had to wake President Biden up and how she got involved with his 2020 campaign," the source said. Williams told House investigators Biden is fit to be president today, the source said. In addition to whether senior aides covered up Biden's alleged decline, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is looking into whether any presidential orders were signed via autopen without the former commander in chief's knowledge. Any allegations of wrongdoing so far have been denied by the ex-president's allies. But Republican investigators have pointed to Biden's disastrous June 2024 debate and subsequent revelations in the media that there were more concerns from Biden's inner circle about his fitness for office than previously known. Williams, however, argued he was in command of himself during that debate, the source said. The former White House aide said nothing to reporters when entering or leaving the committee meeting room for her voluntary interview. Fox News Digital reached out to Williams' lawyers for their account of events inside the room. It was a staff-led meeting, but Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, briefly stopped in for just under 30 minutes to show "solidarity" with the witness, the progressive told reporters afterward. "I do think that it is important that I show up because if they are going to make allegations about the former commander in chief, egregious allegations they continue to wage, I want to make sure that I'm in the room to correct the record because a lot of times they like to mischaracterize things," she said. When asked by Fox News Digital if the interview was still ongoing as she exited, Crockett answered, "It's still going. I'm leaving early. I've got to get to another thing." The source who spoke with Fox News Digital said Crockett had come in during the GOP's questioning session and did not ask any questions herself. Fox News Digital reached out to her office for a response. Williams is a longtime Biden ally whose time with the Democrat goes back to assisting second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers. Williams later worked for Biden's 2020 campaign and presidential transition team. She served as his trip director before being hired by the White House as deputy director of Oval Office operations and a special assistant to the president. Williams ended her White House tenure as deputy assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president and director of strategic outreach, according to her LinkedIn page. Notably, the social media page also says Williams still works for the ex-leader as senior advisor in the Office of Former President Joe Biden. She was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year during Republicans' investigation into Biden's cognitive health, but GOP investigators say the former White House blocked her from giving any information. The Democratic staffer is the third person to appear before committee investigators in recent weeks. Former Biden White House physician Kevin O'Connor appeared for a sworn deposition Wednesday after being subpoenaed by Comer.
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Third Biden aide Ashley Williams hauled in for questioning on ex-prez's mental decline
WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden's deputy director of Oval Office operations became the third former staffer to testify Friday in front of the House Oversight Committee as they investigate the 46th commander-in-chief's cognitive decline and possible abuses of the presidential autopen. Special assistant Ashley Williams — who declined to answer reporter questions — was the third Biden ally to appear in front of the committee, giving nearly six hours of closed-door testimony about her time serving as a close aide to the ex-president. 'She's cooperating, otherwise we would've been done,' said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), a staunch Biden defender who said she 'absolutely' wasn't questioning the 82-year-old's cognitive acuity and was the only lawmaker who appeared for Williams' testimony. The Republican-led probe intends to uncover who had the authority in the Biden White House to authorize executive orders and pardons with the president's signature via an autopen, a mechanical device used at least since the Truman administration to approve official documents. 5 Special assistant Ashley Williams — who declined to answer any reporters' questions — was the third Biden ally to appear in front of the committee. AP Before Williams appeared in front of the committee, the Trump White House pulled back her shield of executive privilege, a move that required the ex-Biden aide to provide 'unrestricted testimony' on the former president's cognitive health. In a shocking development earlier this week, Biden's former physician exercised his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when faced with the committee's probing. Dr. Kevin O'Connor refused to answer any questions from the panel of representatives and staff — even inquiries that fell outside doctor-patient privilege. 5 'This is unprecedented, and I think that this adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up,' House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters after Biden's personal physician pled the Fifth and departed. AP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) later revealed that two of the key questions that O'Connor declined to answer were: 'Were you ever told to lie about the president's health?' and 'Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duties?' Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as former President Obama's physician and authored the book 'Transforming Presidential Healthcare,' told The Post that neither of those questions would violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy of medical records. It 'doesn't sound like that's specific health information that they're seeking,' Kuhlman said. The only fact O'Connor was willing to disclose was his name, opting instead to read a prepared statement invoking his right against self-incrimination for all other questions. 5 'I am not a lawyer, and I must follow my lawyer's advice in this matter,' ex-White House Dr. Kevin O'Connor told Oversight panel members. REUTERS 'I am not a lawyer, and I must follow my lawyer's advice in this matter,' the doctor told Oversight panel members. O'Connor was represented by attorney David Schertler, who represented former National Institutes of Health official Dr. Anthony Fauci last year before a subcommittee investigating the origins of COVID-19. 'This is unprecedented, and I think that this adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up,' Comer told reporters after the O'Connor hearing wrapped up. 5 Ex-Biden aide Neera Tanden testified for five hours, also without the protections of executive authority. The Washington Post via Getty Images 'It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment,' Comer added in a statement later that day. The next Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday of next week will feature Anthony Bernal, first lady Jill Biden's top aide and 'work husband,' who was subpoenaed for testimony after refusing to appear voluntarily. Because Bernal was deposed, he will only have two options for each line of inquiry: provide the committee with an answer, or plead the Fifth like O'Connor. 5 Before Williams appeared in front of the committee, the Trump White House pulled back her shield of executive privilege. The NY Post Bernal will not be able to skip any questions, which he would have been able to do if he'd come in front of the committee of his own free will. Ex-Biden aide Neera Tanden testified to the Oversight Committee for five hours on June 24, also without the protections of executive privilege. After her hearing, Tanden told reporters that there was 'absolutely not' a conspiracy to conceal Biden's eroding mental acuity.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Who is Ashley Williams, the longtime Biden aide grilled by House GOP investigators Friday?
Former White House aide Ashley Williams is the latest ex-Biden administration official to appear in the House Oversight Committee's probe. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating allegations that Biden's former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president's full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back on those claims. Williams is the third member of Biden's White House inner circle to show up, though she said nothing to reporters on her way into the room late Friday morning nor during a brief lunch break in the afternoon. She's a longtime Biden ally whose time with the Democrat goes back to assisting then-second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers. Williams later worked for both Biden's 2020 campaign and presidential transition team. She served as his trip director before being hired to the White House as deputy director of Oval Office Operations and a special assistant to the president. Williams ended her White House tenure as deputy assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president, and director of Strategic Outreach, according to her LinkedIn page. Notably, the social media page also says Williams still works for the ex-leader as senior advisor in the Office of Former President Joe Biden. Williams is a graduate of Georgetown University, and received a doctorate of Law from the University of Pennsylvania. She also got a Master's degree in political management from George Washington University. She was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year in Republicans' investigation into Biden's cognitive health, but GOP investigators say the White House blocked her from giving any information. "The Biden White House obstructed the Committee's investigation and refused to make the aides available for depositions or interviews," the committee said in a press release this year. Williams' Friday appearance was not forced under subpoena, however. She appeared voluntarily for her closed-door transcribed interview. The Trump White House waived executive privilege for Williams along with several other former Biden aides last month.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Jasmine Crockett rips Trump 'regime,' vows 'solidarity' with Biden witnesses during House probe
Progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, made a second surprise appearance at the House Oversight Committee's closed-door discussions with former Biden administration aides this week, once again criticizing President Donald Trump on the way out. Crockett surprised reporters when she arrived roughly 15 minutes after House investigators' transcribed interview with former White House advisor Ashley Williams began, declining to speak on the way in. The Texas Democrat emerged just over 30 minutes later, saying little about what went on inside but telling reporters she still had "absolutely" no concerns about Biden's mental fitness while in office. She said it was important to "be there physically" for Biden allies being interviewed in the GOP probe – even going as far as suggesting the Trump administration created a threatening environment for members of Congress and its own political opponents. "It is important…in my mind, to be there for these witnesses. Unfortunately, we know what happens when this regime gets going. We know about the threats that come upon them, that come upon us as members of Congress," Crockett said. "I think it is important to stand there in solidarity and to at least be there physically so that they don't feel like they're alone as they are enduring egregious attacks consistently from this administration." Crockett was the only lawmaker seen going in or out of Williams' meeting with investigators on Friday. The transcribed interview was expected to be staff-led, and lawmakers were not required to attend. "Right now, the Republicans continue to act as if this is a main priority. Yet none of them are showing up," she said. "I do think that it is important that I show up because if they are going to make allegations about the former commander-in-chief, egregious allegations they continue to wage. I want to make sure that I'm in the room to correct the record, because a lot of times they like to mischaracterize things." When asked by Fox News Digital if the interview was still ongoing as she exited, however, Crockett answered, "It's still going. I'm leaving early. I've got to get to another thing." A source familiar with the ongoing proceeding told Fox News Digital that Crockett came in during Republican investigators' round of questioning and so was unable to make inquiries herself. Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett for a response. Williams was the former Director of Strategic Outreach under the Biden administration. She did not speak to reporters on the way into her transcribed interview. Crockett initially caught reporters and potentially even staff off guard when she arrived for the closed-door deposition of Biden's former White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was there as well, as is the norm for sworn depositions. Williams, unlike O'Connor, is not on Capitol Hill under subpoena. During her Wednesday appearance, Crockett declared she never had any concerns about Biden's mental state while he was president, though she did raise similar claims about Trump. White House spokesman Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital in response to Crockett questioning Trump's mental acuity: "The Democrats' rising star has done more to cement the party's demise than the President she breathlessly supported, the decrepit and feeble Joe Biden. Jasmine continues to prove she'd be better suited as a reality TV star on VH1 than an elected official on Capitol Hill." Comer is investigating accusations that Biden's former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president's full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back on those claims.
