A Republican congressman is broadening an investigation into the extent of former President Joe Biden’s physical and mental decline while in office, seeking testimony from some of Biden’s closest advisers, including his first chief of staff.
GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight committee, sent letters to five of the former president’s closest aides on Wednesday, requesting they answer questions about Biden’s “mental and physical faculties” while he was leading the country.
The aides include Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, as well as members of his inner circle — advisers Michael Donilon, Bruce Reed, Steve Richetti, and Anita Dunn.
A spokesperson told CBS News the committee is already in discussions with four other former White House aides — Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, Ashley Williams, and Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor — to provide testimony.
Scrutiny of Biden’s health while in office has intensified over recent weeks following the revelation by the 82-year-old that he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, and a new book that claims officials within the Biden White House worked to hide a “precipitous decline” in his physical and mental health while in office.
Klain, who left the White House in February 2023 and also helped prepare Biden ahead of a disastrous debate performance last June, has pushed back on accusations that he covered up any health issues. In a text message to Politico, he instead attributed Biden’s poor performance to advisers, who had “isolated him from domestic politics.”
In the letters he sent Wednesday, Comer requested the aides appear before the committee for transcribed interviews in the middle of July.
“If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition–or to perform his duties–Congress may need to consider a legislative response,” the Kentucky Republican wrote.
As chair of the House Oversight committee, Comer oversaw a long-running investigation trying to connect President Biden to the business dealings of his son Hunter. That investigation culminated in an impeachment inquiry that eventually stalled out before coming to a vote.
