Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to First Lady Jill Biden, has declined to testify before the House Oversight Committee in its ongoing investigation into President Joe Biden’s cognitive health and the alleged misuse of the presidential autopen, Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced Wednesday.
Bernal, who had previously agreed to appear for a transcribed interview, is now refusing to participate, even after the White House waived executive privilege for him and eight other former Biden aides. His decision has intensified tensions between the GOP-led committee and the Biden administration as questions mount over the president’s mental acuity and the internal dynamics of the White House.
“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.”
Comer added that the committee will not tolerate obstruction and announced his intent to issue a subpoena to compel Bernal’s testimony.
On Tuesday, former White House staff secretary Neera Tanden testified that her interactions with Biden were limited, despite overseeing the use of the autopen. Tanden explained that decision memos were sent to high-level aides within the president’s inner circle, and that she had no visibility into what happened between sending the documents and receiving them back with approval.
“Her testimony raises serious questions about who was really calling the shots in the Biden White House amid the president’s obvious decline,” Comer said.
Bernal, known for his close personal and professional relationship with Jill Biden, has been described by many in the White House as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure. His refusal to appear before the Oversight Committee is being interpreted by Republicans as a calculated move to avoid scrutiny amid growing allegations that senior staff may be managing the presidency without the full engagement of President Biden.
Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s former White House physician, is also under scrutiny. He is scheduled to testify before the committee in a closed-door deposition on July 9. Some Republicans have alleged O’Connor downplayed or concealed medical information related to Biden’s mental state.
The controversy surrounding Bernal’s refusal to testify was compounded by the recent release of an undercover video by Project Veritas, revealing deep concerns among Democratic insiders about Bernal’s unchecked influence over President Biden. In the footage, David Hogg — former Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee — described Bernal as wielding an “enormous amount of power,” and raised concerns that Biden’s inner circle, not the president himself, was truly in control of the administration’s direction. “The bigger issue was the inner circle around Biden,” Hogg stated. “It wasn’t about the DNC. It was who’s making decisions for Joe.”
The video also features Deterrian Jones, a former Biden staffer, who described Bernal as a behind-the-scenes figure with almost mythic power. “He was scary,” Jones said, likening Bernal to a “Wizard of Oz-type figure” invisible to the public but deeply embedded in the chain of command. These accounts echo recent media reports suggesting that a small cadre of trusted Biden insiders — including Bernal, First Lady Jill Biden, Mike Donilon, Bruce Reed, and Annie Tomasini — held disproportionate sway over the president’s daily activities, especially as concerns about his cognitive health intensified.
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WHO were the PREVIOUS administrations who routinely used the Autopen to sign , for he president’s signature?
When you work for a crime syndicate of course you wouldn’t partake in a hearing.I wouldn’t if I had committed all these “crimes” for the master who is not mentally stable.
Does he have something to hide? Redundant question. Why else refuse to testify?