House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky has ratcheted up the congressional investigation into the Biden Administration’s handling of the president’s mental health and the possible unauthorized use of autopen for executing high-level executive actions, including controversial pardons, such as the pardon of Hunter Biden, Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci, and Mark Milley.
Comer issued formal letters demanding transcribed interviews with several former White House officials and President Joe Biden’s longtime physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor. Those requested to appear include Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, and Ashley Williams, all former senior staffers in the Biden White House.
“The cover-up of President Biden’s obvious mental decline is a historic scandal,” Comer said. “The American people deserve to know when this decline began, how far it progressed, and who was making critical decisions on his behalf.”
The investigation follows revelations that key executive actions, such as broad pardons issued earlier this year before Biden left office, may have been signed using autopen, a device that replicates a person’s signature. Critics argue the use of autopen in such circumstances raises serious constitutional and ethical questions if the president was not mentally capable of authorizing the decisions himself.
Comer previously subpoenaed the same officials during the last Congress, but the Biden White House blocked their participation. In addition, a subpoena for audio recordings from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents was defied by Attorney General Merrick Garland. They can’t block it now.
The inquiry has drawn renewed attention after excerpts from a forthcoming book, Original Sin, described a chaotic internal dynamic within the White House. According to the book, a source familiar with senior staff operations claimed, “Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”
Comer is seeking answers from Dr. O’Connor regarding Biden’s mental and cognitive evaluations, and whether the president had the capacity to carry out the duties of his office when key decisions were made. The committee has also targeted aides who reportedly shielded Biden from public scrutiny or made decisions on his behalf.
Adding fuel to the debate, Ed Martin, in charge of investigating the autopen scandal, recently named several figures he believes could have played a role in approving autopen use or participating in the decision-making process, including Tanden, Bernal, Tomasini, and Williams.
Despite public statements from Biden’s Cabinet and Democratic members of the Oversight Committee claiming the president remains “sharp” and “on top of his game,” Comer and House Republicans argue the pattern of obstruction and growing reports of internal dysfunction point to a broader cover-up.
The committee’s investigation is ongoing, and Chairman Comer has indicated that any refusal to comply with congressional oversight will result in “swift and decisive action.”