House Republicans to probe Biden’s mental decline and use of presidential autopen

House lawmakers Thursday requested interviews with President Biden’s doctor and top White House aides over suspicions that they covered up his mental decline and may have signed legislation and pardons on his behalf.

The Republican-led Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent letters demanding that Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former White House physician, and four former senior White House aides appear for transcribed interviews after reports detailed the severity of Mr. Biden’s cognitive struggles and his sudden diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer.

“The cover-up of President Biden’s obvious mental decline is a historic scandal. The American people deserve to know when this decline began, how far it progressed, and who was making critical decisions on his behalf,” said committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican.

Mr. Comer said the committee was considering legislation “to address the oversight of presidents’ fitness to serve.”

Mr. Comer also is seeking interviews with Neera Tanden, Mr. Biden’s director of the Domestic Policy Council; Anthony Bernal, who served as assistant to the president and senior adviser to first lady Jill Biden; former Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini; and Ashley Williams, who was deputy director of Oval Office operations.

The four were part of Mr. Biden’s inner circle. Media reports and interviews in recently released books said they worked to hide the president’s deteriorating cognitive abilities and perhaps took on duties he was not able to perform.

The revelations have raised questions about Mr. Biden’s frequent use of the presidential autopen and whether aides were using it without his knowledge.

An analysis from the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project found an increased use of the autopen “as Mr. Biden’s mental and physical decline accelerated.” The autopen was used on days when Mr. Biden was in the Oval Office and could have provided his real signature.

In the letter to Ms. Tomasini, Mr. Comer said the House committee wanted answers on her involvement in helping “stage manage” the president.

“The committee remains concerned that you … were involved in running interference on behalf of the former President and perhaps performing duties exclusively reserved for the President of the United States,” Mr. Comer wrote.

Lawmakers are also eager to talk with Dr. O’Connor, Mr. Biden’s longtime doctor who served as White House physician.

Dr. O’Connor wrote glowing health reports during Mr. Biden’s presidency despite obvious signs of diminishing mental acuity and several public stumbles. The physician was a close family friend and helped Mr. Biden’s younger brother James Biden win contracts from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2017.

“Given your connections with the Biden family, the committee seeks to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people,” Mr. Comer wrote.

This is Mr. Comer’s second attempt to question the White House staffers and physician about Mr. Biden’s presidency and how it was affected by his cognitive difficulties.

Mr. Comer subpoenaed all four staffers in 2024, but the Biden White House refused to allow them to be interviewed by lawmakers.

The scrutiny of Mr. Biden’s term in office intensified this week with the release of a book about his presidency, “Original Sin,” detailing the recollections of hundreds of former White House officials as they dealt with a fading president.

Mr. Biden was 82 when he left office in January. Earlier this month, he received a diagnosis of late-stage prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones.

An anonymous former Biden aide told authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, “Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”

In an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Mr. Biden denied the allegations and said claims that he was checked out mentally were “wrong.” 

Mrs. Biden, who appeared alongside the former president on the left-leaning daytime talk show, said the authors of the book “were not in the White House with us.”