The House Oversight Committee has ramped up its investigation into allegations that senior aides in the Biden administration concealed the former president’s cognitive decline during his final months in office. On Friday, the committee formally requested testimony from four key former White House officials.
Those called to appear include Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as President Biden’s final White House Press Secretary; Jeff Zients, his last Chief of Staff; Andrew Bates, a former Deputy Press Secretary; and Ian Sams, who acted as spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is leading the probe, which seeks to uncover whether former President Biden’s top aides misled the public about his mental and cognitive condition while he was still in office.
“President Biden’s inner circle repeatedly told the American people that he was ‘sharp as ever,’ dismissing any commentary about his obvious mental decline as ‘gratuitous,’” Comer said in a statement. “They fed these false talking points to progressive allies and the media, who helped perpetuate that President Biden was fit to serve.”
Jean-Pierre, now a private citizen and currently promoting a forthcoming memoir, is expected to offer insight into the internal dynamics of the administration during its final year. The book is reportedly critical of internal dysfunction and raises questions about decision-making at the highest levels.
Jeff Zients, who served as Biden’s last chief of staff, was one of the closest daily advisors to the former president and is seen as a key figure in how information about Biden’s health may have been managed within the administration.
Earlier in the week, the committee interviewed Neera Tanden, former domestic policy adviser and staff secretary. According to committee Republicans, Tanden testified that she had minimal direct interaction with Biden and primarily communicated through written memos filtered by senior aides. This revelation has intensified questions about who was actually making executive decisions near the end of the administration—particularly with reports that an autopen was used to sign official documents.
Additionally, the committee issued a subpoena for Anthony Bernal, a longtime Biden family aide who now leads the former president’s transition and legacy office. Bernal initially agreed to testify voluntarily but later withdrew. He remains a close associate of former First Lady Jill Biden, who has referred to him publicly as her “work husband.”
The investigation centers on whether critical executive decisions were made without full presidential awareness and whether staff deliberately shielded the public from Biden’s deteriorating health.
No dates have yet been set for the requested testimonies, but the probe continues to draw national attention as questions mount about transparency and accountability at the close of the Biden presidency.
