Biden advisors prepared for Congressional inquiry concerning allegations of cognitive decline
House Oversight Committee Intensifies Investigation into Biden's Cognitive Decline
The House Oversight Committee, under the leadership of Republican Chair Rep. James Comer, is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline and potential attempts to conceal it.
Current Status
The investigation remains active, with interviews and depositions ongoing. The committee is probing claims of cognitive decline and suspected cover-up efforts, including questions about unauthorized executive actions. The inquiries are escalating to higher-level staff and possibly family members.
Key Witnesses and Participation
Steve Ricchetti, former Biden counselor, and Ron Klain, former Chief of Staff, have already testified in closed-door sessions. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s former physician, pleaded the Fifth Amendment on all questions in his deposition, refusing to answer whether he was asked to lie about Biden’s health or fitness to be president.
Anthony Bernal, a longtime Biden aide and chief of staff to First Lady Jill Biden, also invoked the Fifth Amendment during his deposition. The committee later subpoenaed Bernal after he declined to appear for a transcribed interview.
The committee has considered subpoenaing Jill Biden and Kamala Harris for questioning. Chair Comer has publicly called for them to be subpoenaed as part of the investigation into Biden’s mental capacity while in office.
Biden's Response
Joe Biden has strongly denied reports of cognitive decline during a public appearance on ABC’s "The View" earlier in 2025, stating, "They are wrong. There's nothing to sustain that."
Broader Focus
The investigation also examines whether presidential clemency actions near the end of Biden’s term were executed with proper authority or were part of unauthorized decisions involving aides and staff using the presidential auto-pen.
Interviews and Depositions
Ashley Williams, former special assistant to the president and deputy director of Oval Office Operations, sat for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee. Williams did not recall many times during her five-hour interview to several questions, including whether teleprompters were used for Cabinet meetings, if there were discussions about Biden using a wheelchair, if there were discussions about Biden undergoing a cognitive test, if she discussed Biden declining physically or mentally, if she ever had to wake Biden up, and how she got involved in his 2020 campaign.
Former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain told the committee that Hillary Clinton expressed concerns about Biden's age being an issue the campaign hadn't dealt with effectively in 2023.
In the coming weeks, the House Oversight Committee is expected to transcribe interviews with additional high-level aides, including Bruce Reed, former deputy chief of staff for policy, on Tuesday and Anita Dunn, former senior adviser to the president for communications, on Thursday. Steve Ricchetti, former Biden counselor, and Mike Donilon, former senior adviser, are scheduled to appear before the committee for interviews on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
Three Biden aides, including White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor, former assistant to the president Anthony Bernal, and former special assistant Annie Tomasini, pleaded the fifth in response to questions from the panel earlier this month.
Klain told the committee that he believed Biden had the mental sharpness to serve as president and saw no reason to doubt his mental acuity.
An attorney representing Williams did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/15/politics/house-oversight-committee-biden-cognitive-decline-investigation/index.html [2] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-doctor-pleads-fifth-amendment-house-oversight-committee-deposition-n1406306 [3] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/biden-aide-invokes-fifth-amendment-in-oversight-committee-deposition-00055220 [4] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-oversight-committee-releases-video-of-biden-doctors-deposition [5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/12/house-oversight-committee-investigating-biden-cognitive-decline-potential-cover-up/
- The investigation led by the House Oversight Committee, in the realm of politics, is delving into the alleged cognitive decline of President Joe Biden, as well as potential attempts to conceal it, which encompasses policy-and-legislation decisions and war-and-conflicts that may have been influenced by his mental state.
- In the midst of the ongoing House Oversight Committee investigation, general news outlets have been reporting on key witnesses such as Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Steve Ricchetti, and Anthony Bernal; the committee has also been examining policy-and-legislation relating to presidential clemency actions, war-and-conflicts, and Biden's cognitive decline.
