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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued a subpoena to a former top White House adviser who reportedly operated within a small “politburo” of staffers who ran the country in place of a cognitively ailing President Biden.
Anthony Bernal, who served as an aide to the president and confidant to first lady Jill Biden, has refused to appear voluntarily before the panel for a transcribed interview that was scheduled for Thursday.
Lawmakers plan to interview several former top Biden aides about his cognitive decline and whether he was able to discharge the duties of the office. Mr. Biden left office at age 82 amid questions about his mental and physical fitness.
Tell-all books published this year reported that Mr. Biden faded mentally at the end of his term while aides ran the country on his behalf.
Mr. Bernal held a powerful position in that group and was referred to by White House staffers as Mrs. Biden’s “work husband.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Bernal’s lawyer told the panel he wouldn’t appear voluntarily for an interview. The subpoena calls for him to testify on July 16.
“The committee seeks information about your assessment of and relationship with former President Biden to explore whether the time has come for Congress to revisit potential legislation to address the oversight of presidents’ fitness to serve,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, said.
Several former Biden aides have agreed to speak to the committee voluntarily. Neera Tanden, who was Mr. Biden’s Domestic Policy Council director as well as his staff secretary, gave an interview to the panel Tuesday. While staff secretary, she controlled the presidential autopen, a mechanical device used to sign documents.
Republicans said Ms. Tanden said she had little interaction with Mr. Biden, despite her authority to authorize autopen signatures.
Democrats said the GOP is on a baseless fishing expedition that is politically motivated.
“Contrary to Chairman Comer’s promises … today’s transcribed interview produced no new information, no evidence and no wrongdoing by President Biden. Instead of working to lower costs for American families or protect their data, Republicans spent the day obsessing over office layouts and coffee meetings,” California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the panel, said.
Mr. Biden said this month that claims that others were running the country and signing documents with the autopen on his behalf are false.
“I made the decisions during my presidency,” he said.
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