House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., has called on former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and three former aides to President Joe Biden to testify as his panel turns its attention to the Democrat administration's use of the autopen.
On Friday, the chair sent letters to Jean-Pierre; Ian Sams, former special assistant to Biden and senior adviser in the White House Counsel's Office; Andrew Bates, former deputy assistant to Biden and senior deputy press secretary; and Jeff Zients, former White House chief of staff, demanding they appear for transcribed interviews.
"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,'" Comer said in a statement. "They fed these false talking points to progressive allies and the media, who helped perpetuate that President Biden was fit to serve.
"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," he added.
According to the Washington Examiner, former Biden aides are expected to be interviewed by Comer's committee in the coming weeks after the first witness, Neera Tanden, former director of the Domestic Policy Council, testified on Tuesday.
While most aides have agreed to appear voluntarily, Comer issued subpoenas to Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician, and Anthony Bernal, former assistant to Biden and senior adviser to former first lady Jill Biden, after they refused to testify as part of the investigation into Biden's apparent cognitive decline.
Bernal was set to appear before the panel on Thursday but backed out after the White House Counsel's Office notified him that it was waiving executive privilege, which allows the witness to withhold information from Congress to protect the integrity of the executive branch.
"Now that the White House has waived executive privilege, it's abundantly clear that Anthony Bernal — Jill Biden's so-called 'work husband' — never intended to be transparent about Joe Biden's cognitive decline and the ensuing cover-up," Comer said in a statement.
"With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth. The American people deserve answers and accountability, and the Oversight Committee will not tolerate this obstruction."
Transcripts of the closed-door interviews are expected to be made public, according to an Oversight Committee spokesperson. Comer told the Examiner that no transcripts will be made available until all interviews have been conducted.
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