Latest news with #JamesComer
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Oversight chair demands Jean-Pierre, other former WH staff testify on alleged Biden mental decline coverup
An influential House committee is demanding that former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and three other former top White House staffers appear before Congress to testify about the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden's mental decline. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has been on the hunt for who was making decisions in Biden's inner circle during the president's apparent mental decline. On Friday, he sent letters to Karine-Pierre and former White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, former senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates and former special assistant to the president Ian Sams, demanding they present themselves for transcribed interviews with the oversight committee. The letters are part of the committee's ongoing investigation into the alleged attempted cover-up of Biden's decline and the potentially unauthorized issuance of sweeping pardons and other executive actions by senior White House officials usurping Biden's presidential authority. In his letters, Comer says the committee believes that the four top Biden staffers have "critical" information on "who made key decisions and exercised the powers of the executive branch during the previous administration, possibly without former President Biden's consent." The letter to Jean-Pierre stated that as White House press secretary and a top Biden confidante, "you were not only near the president daily, but you were 'alongside the ranks of the president's top confidantes.'" "Your assertion, on multiple occasions, that President Biden's decline was attributable to such tactics as 'cheap fakes' or 'misinformation' cannot go without investigation," wrote Comer. He said that "if White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive's condition — or to perform his duties — Congress may need to consider a legislative response." Comer set interview dates in late August and early September and gave the four senior officials until July 4 to confirm they would comply with the demands voluntarily or if they will "require a subpoena to compel your attendance for a deposition." Jean-Pierre, Zients, Bates and Sams are the latest former Biden senior officials to receive a congressional summons from Comer as part of the Oversight Committee's investigation into the alleged cover-up. The chairman also issued subpoenas to Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician, and Anthony Bernal, former assistant to the president and senior advisor to the first lady, after they refused to appear before the committee voluntarily. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Comer said that "as part of our aggressive investigation into the cover-up of his cognitive decline and potentially unauthorized executive actions, we must hear from those who aided and abetted this farce." "President Biden's inner circle repeatedly told the American people that he was 'sharp as ever,' dismissing any commentary about his obvious mental decline as 'gratuitous,'" he said. "They fed these false talking points to progressive allies and the media, who helped perpetuate that President Biden was fit to serve." Jean-Pierre, Zients, Bates and Sams did not reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment before publication.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Former top aide to Jill Biden subpoenaed in House GOP's Biden age probe
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have subpoenaed Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden, as part of their rapidly expanding investigation into former President Joe Biden's mental fitness while in office. The subpoena — signed Thursday by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican Oversight chairman — requires Bernal to appear for a deposition on July 16. It came after several weeks of back-and-forth with Bernal's lawyer over the timing of a voluntary interview, which Comer says ended with Bernal withdrawing from an interview scheduled for Thursday. "Given your close connection with both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people," a cover letter for the subpoena reads. "To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled." Bernal is the second former Biden staffer to be subpoenaed by the committee and unlikely to be the last. The committee this week heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, a former director of Biden's domestic policy counsel, and is intent on securing interviews with several other members of Biden's inner circle as part of its investigation. CBS News has reached out to Bernal's attorney for comment. Comer has also subpoenaed Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who served as Biden's physician at the White House. O'Connor will testify before the committee on July 9. The committee said it compelled O'Connor to testify after his lawyers said he could not appear for an interview, arguing it would violate local laws and ethical rules against doctors disclosing confidential medical information. It's all part of a Republican effort, supported by President Trump, to investigate the last occupant of the Oval Office. Mr. Trump himself has ordered White House lawyers and the Justice Department to investigate Biden's aides, questioning the legitimacy of his alleged use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. Mr. Trump has long suggested that the use of autopen could nullify some of Biden's executive actions, an idea some legal experts have pushed back on. In a statement earlier this month, Biden called the attacks "ridiculous and false," and said, "I made the decisions during my presidency," including on pardons. Boosting the GOP investigation, Mr. Trump has waived executive privilege for eight former Biden administration officials to testify to Congress, including Bernal, a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity told the Associated Press. Executive privilege is a legal doctrine that allows presidents to keep certain internal communications secret. With the privilege lifted, former staffers are free to discuss their interactions with Biden while he was president. Comer said Bernal's attorneys had initially offered to do a transcribed interview on Thursday, but then on Wednesday, his lawyers told the committee he was not willing to appear voluntarily on that date. Comer accused him of "running scared" after the privilege was waived. In addition to Bernal, executive privilege has been waived for Biden White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. Comer is seeking interviews with all of them. Democrats have dismissed the inquiry into Biden's mental state as a partisan exercise that distracts from other pressing issues. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Missouri Democrat who sits on the Oversight committee, said after the interview with Tanden that it "was an extraordinary waste of time" and produced "no new evidence." Bell said lawmakers should focus on issues like the costs of food, housing and potential changes to healthcare policy rather than "dig up some kind of post-impeachment, or whatever we're doing here." The unfolding investigation has grown in scope in recent weeks, as new reporting emerges about Biden's final year in office — including concerns about his age and the circumstances of his decision not to run for reelection. Biden has long denied that his cognitive abilities had faded while in office. The probe could have significant implications for politics and policy. Republican lawmakers have argued that any executive actions or policies enacted through the autopen procedure could be found invalid if Biden were somehow incapacitated or not of a sound state of mind while in office. Mr. Trump and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Biden was not aware of the actions his administration had taken on a range of issues, including on pardons, environmental policy and labor rights, among other issues. A move to reverse such executive actions, which would almost certainly face legal scrutiny and a battle in the courts, could impact scores of executive orders taken throughout Biden's term. "Let this subpoena send a clear message to Biden's inner circle: We will stop at nothing to expose the truth about Joe Biden's decline (and) unauthorized use of the autopen," Comer wrote on social media.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Former Top Aide to Jill Biden Is Subpoenaed by House Oversight Panel
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena Thursday to Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden, as part of their rapidly expanding investigation into former President Joe Biden's mental fitness while in office. The subpoena, signed by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican Oversight chairman, requires Bernal to appear for a deposition on July 16. It came after several weeks of back-and-forth with Bernal's lawyer over the timing of a voluntary interview. 'Given your close connection with both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people,' the subpoena reads. 'To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled.' Bernal is the second former Biden staffer to be subpoenaed by the committee and unlikely to be the last. The committee this week heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, a former director of Biden's domestic policy counsel, and is intent on securing interviews with several other members of Biden's inner circle as part of its investigation. Bernal did not respond Thursday to a message seeking comment. Comer has also subpoenaed Kevin O'Connor, who served as Biden's physician at the White House. O'Connor will testify before the committee on July 9. It's all part of a remarkable Republican effort, supported by President Donald Trump, to investigate the last occupant of the Oval Office six months after he left office. Trump himself has ordered White House lawyers and the Justice Department to investigate Biden, questioning the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. Boosting the GOP investigation, Trump has waived executive privilege for eight former Biden administration officials to testify to Congress, including Bernal, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity. With the privilege lifted, former staffers are free to discuss their interactions with Biden while he was president. In addition to Bernal, executive privilege has been waived for Biden White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; former White House chief of staff Ron Klain; former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed; former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti; former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini; and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. Comer is seeking interviews with all of them. Democrats have dismissed the inquiry into Biden's mental state as a partisan exercise that distracts from other pressing issues. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Missouri Democrat who sits on the Oversight committee, said after the interview with Tanden that it was 'an extraordinary waste of time' and produced no new evidence. Bell said lawmakers should focus on issues like the costs of food, housing, and potential changes to healthcare policy rather than 'dig up some kind of post-impeachment or whatever we're doing here.' The unfolding investigation has significant implications for politics and policy. Republican lawmakers have argued that any executive actions or policies enacted through the autopen procedure could be found invalid if Biden were somehow incapacitated or not of a sound state of mind while in office. Trump and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Biden was not aware of the actions his administration had taken on a range of issues, including presidential pardons, environmental policy, and labor rights, among other issues. A move to reverse such executive actions, which would almost certainly face legal scrutiny and a battle in the courts, could impact scores of executive orders taken throughout Biden's term. 'Let this subpoena send a clear message to Biden's inner circle: We will stop at nothing to expose the truth about Joe Biden's decline (and) unauthorized use of the autopen,' Comer wrote on social media. Trump this month directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, arguing that aides engaged in a conspiracy to mask Biden's mental state. Senate Republicans have also launched their own inquiries. 'We need to know who was in charge during the last months of the Biden administration. Was it his wife, his chief of staff, nameless others? None of these people were elected by the American people, nor were they authorized by the Constitution and laws of the US to carry out the duties of the president of the US,' Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said during a June hearing.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Former top aide to Jill Biden is subpoenaed by House Oversight panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena Thursday to Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden, as part of their rapidly expanding investigation into former President Joe Biden's mental fitness while in office. The subpoena signed by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican Oversight chairman, requires Bernal to appear for a deposition on July 16. It came after several weeks of back-and-forth with Bernal's lawyer over the timing of a voluntary interview. 'Given your close connection with both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people,' the subpoena reads. 'To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled.' Bernal is the second former Biden staffer to be subpoenaed by the committee and unlikely to be the last. The committee this week heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, a former director of Biden's domestic policy counsel, and is intent on securing interviews with several other members of Biden's inner circle as part of its investigation. Bernal did not respond Thursday to a message seeking comment. Comer has also subpoenaed Kevin O'Connor, who served as Biden's physician at the White House. O'Connor will testify before the committee on July 9. It's all part of a remarkable Republican effort, supported by President Donald Trump, to investigate the last occupant of the Oval Office six months after he left office. Trump himself has ordered White House lawyers and the Justice Department to investigate Biden, questioning the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. Boosting the GOP investigation, Trump has waived executive privilege for eight former Biden administration officials to testify to Congress, including Bernal, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity. With the privilege lifted, former staffers are free to discuss their interactions with Biden while he was president. In addition to Bernal, executive privilege has been waived for Biden White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. Comer is seeking interviews with all of them. Democrats have dismissed the inquiry into Biden's mental state as a partisan exercise that distracts from other pressing issues. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Missouri Democrat who sits on the Oversight committee, said after the interview with Tanden that it 'was an extraordinary waste of time' and produced 'no new evidence.' Bell said lawmakers should focus on issues like the costs of food, housing and potential changes to healthcare policy rather than 'dig up some kind of post-impeachment, or whatever we're doing here.' The unfolding investigation has significant implications for politics and policy. Republican lawmakers have argued that any executive actions or policies enacted through the autopen procedure could be found invalid if Biden were somehow incapacitated or not of a sound state of mind while in office. Trump and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Biden was not aware of the actions his administration had taken on a range of issues, including presidential pardons, environmental policy and labor rights, among other issues. A move to reverse such executive actions, which would almost certainly face legal scrutiny and a battle in the courts, could impact scores of executive orders taken throughout Biden's term. 'Let this subpoena send a clear message to Biden's inner circle: We will stop at nothing to expose the truth about Joe Biden's decline (and) unauthorized use of the autopen,' Comer wrote on social media. Trump this month directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, arguing that aides engaged in a 'conspiracy' to mask Biden's mental state. Senate Republicans have also launched their own inquiries. 'We need to know who was in charge during the last months of the Biden administration. Was it his wife, his chief of staff, nameless others? None of these people were elected by the American people, nor were they authorized by the Constitution and laws of the United States to carry out the duties of the president of the United States,' Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said during a June hearing. — Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Jill Biden's 'work husband' slapped with subpoena after snubbing Republicans demanding info on Joe's mental decline
Anthony Bernal, the longtime Biden aide nicknamed 'Jill's husband,' was slapped with a subpoena by Republicans after he missed Thursday's session to testify on former President Joe Biden 's mental health. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena demanding Bernal appear on July 16 as part of his probe into aides' management of the former president. Bernal was scheduled to appear before the committee on Thursday and Republicans accused him of refusing to appear. But his allies pushed back against that accusation. 'Calling this a 'refusal' is misleading, when there was simply a request to reschedule the interview,' a person familiar with Bernal's interactions with the committee told Bernal's refusal to appear came after President Donald Trump 's administration waived executive privilege for Bernal and other aides who were called to testify about the former president. 'With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth,' Comer said. Executive privilege guarantees aides ability to speak frankly to a president by giving the president authority to withhold certain information from Congress. It is not unusual for one administration to waive it for another. Biden's administration, for example, waved it for Trump aides who were subpoenaed by Democrats on the special committee looking into the January 6th insurrection. Comer's letter issuing the subpoena outlines a repeated back-and-forth between the committee and Bernal's lawyer over the date of his appearance. 'Yesterday, on June 25, your counsel informed the Committee that you were no longer willing to appear voluntarily for the transcribed interview on the agreed-upon date: today, June 26,' Comer wrote. 'To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled.' Bernal has worked for the Bidens since Joe Biden served as vice president. He worked for Jill Biden in the East Wing when she was first lady. But he had an outsized influence over the couple and over White House operations. He continues to work for them. Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden's former press secretary who worked with Bernal, told Fox News that Bernal 'was probably the most power human inside the Biden's orbit and inside the White House.' LaRosa later took to social media to weigh in on the situation. 'For Anthony's sake, I hope there is a shrewd legal strategy behind this move,' he wrote on X. 'Otherwise, it feels like a needlessly bonehead escalation that does a major disservice to Dr. B + 46. Media attention was largely focused elsewhere but now the alarm bells are deafening. Bad look for him and the Bidens.' Comer and fellow Republicans are investigating whether senior Biden aides played any role in keeping quite concerns about the 82-year-old's mental health capacities. The first Biden aide, Neera Tanden, appeared before lawmakers on Tuesday for a sworn deposition. She told reporters afterward that there was 'absolutely not' any effort by aides to disguise Biden's mental state. 'I answered every question, was pleased to discuss my public service, and it was a thorough process, and I'm glad I answered everyone's question,' she said. Comer, however, said Tanden revealed she was the one who controled access to Biden's autopen. Tanden, who served as staff secretary, said she had 'minimal interaction' with the president and sent numerous 'decision memos' to an 'inner circle' of White House advisers for approval. 'Her testimony raises serious questions about who was really calling the shots in the Biden White House amid the President's obvious decline,' he said. But Tanden was not as personally close to Biden as Bernal, who had walk-in privileges for the Oval Office and the residence, the upper floors of the White House where the Bidens live. Very few aides - usually only the closest and most-trusted - have access to the residence. Comer told Bernal in the letter that his testimony was particularly important. 'Given your close connection with both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people,' he wrote. Bernal is not the only person close to Biden to receive a subpoena. Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who served as the former White House physician for Biden, has already been issued a subpoena to appear for testimony Friday.
