NOTE: X-post at the end of the article.
Anthony Bernal, a longtime senior advisor to Joe Biden and widely known for his close relationship with former First Lady Jill Biden, has been officially subpoenaed by House Republicans as part of an escalating investigation into whether key White House staffers hid evidence of President Biden’s cognitive decline while he was in office.
Often referred to by insiders as Jill Biden’s “work husband” due to their unusually close working dynamic, Bernal had previously refused a request from the House Oversight Committee to sit for a transcribed interview. His refusal triggered Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to issue a subpoena ordering Bernal to appear for a formal deposition.
According to a letter sent by Comer on Thursday, the committee is investigating whether Bernal played a role in shielding the public from the true state of President Biden’s mental and physical condition during his time in office. GOP investigators believe senior staff may have coordinated efforts to minimize or conceal signs of cognitive decline, even as questions mounted about Biden’s fitness to serve.
Bernal’s position within the Biden inner circle has placed him at the center of speculation. As a trusted aide with direct access to both the President and First Lady, Republicans believe Bernal could hold key information about internal discussions, decisions, and possible efforts to manage public perceptions of Biden’s health behind the scenes.
“The American people have a right to know whether their President was mentally and physically capable of performing his duties — and if not, who worked to hide that from them,” Comer wrote in the committee’s subpoena notice. He also noted that the committee is pursuing all available avenues to uncover what he described as a possible “deliberate campaign of concealment” inside the Biden White House.
The subpoena of Bernal marks a significant escalation in the House GOP’s broader investigation into transparency and accountability in the executive branch. Critics of the inquiry have dismissed it as politically motivated, but supporters argue that the questions surrounding Biden’s health have long deserved serious scrutiny.
White House officials have not yet commented on Bernal’s subpoena or the broader investigation, but sources close to the former administration have expressed concern that the inquiry could breach long-standing norms around personal staff privacy and internal medical matters.
As the investigation moves forward, Republicans are expected to call additional witnesses and seek access to internal communications from the Biden White House that may shed light on how the administration handled public and private concerns over the President’s capacity to serve.
