Anthony Bernal, the former advisor to former first lady Jill Biden, is refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee to be questioned about the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s mental decline.
Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a press release Tuesday that Bernal was refusing to appear on June 26 for a transcribed interview, as part of the committee’s investigation into the Biden cover-up, and also the potentially unauthorized use of autopen for executive actions and pardons.
‘Now that the White House has waived executive privilege, it’s abundantly clear that Anthony Bernal – Jill Biden’s so-called ‘work husband’ – never intended to be transparent about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and the ensuing cover-up,’ Comer said. ‘With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth. The American people deserve answers and accountability, and the Oversight Committee will not tolerate this obstruction.’
The chairman added that if Bernal does not wish to come on his own, he will issue a subpoena to compel Bernal to provide testimony before the committee.
Letters obtained by Fox News Digital from a source familiar with the matter show the Trump administration will not allow the people of interest in Comer’s probe to use their past White House work as a legal shield.
Deputy Counsel to the President Gary Lawkowski sent the letters to former Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior advisors Anita Dunn, Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon, Annie Tomasini, Bruce Reed, Ashley Williams and Bernal.
‘In light of the unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest, and therefore is not justified, with respect to particular subjects within the purview of the House Oversight Committee,’ the letters said. ‘Those subjects include your assessment of former President Biden’s fitness for the office of the President and your knowledge of who exercised executive powers during his administration.’
Congressional Republicans and the White House are investigating whether the senior Biden aides in question played any role in keeping concerns about the former president’s mental acuity shielded from the public eye and even from lower-level White House staffers.
‘Just yesterday, we heard from our first witness, Neera Tanden, the former Staff Secretary who controlled the Biden autopen,’ Comer said Wednesday. ‘Ms. Tanden testified that she had minimal interaction with President Biden, despite wielding tremendous authority. She explained that to obtain approval for autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of the President’s inner circle and had no visibility of what occurred between sending the memo and receiving it back with approval.
‘Her testimony raises serious questions about who was really calling the shots in the Biden White House amid the President’s obvious decline,’ Comer continued. ‘We will continue to pursue the truth for the American people.’
Bernal’s team previously confirmed he would appear for a transcribed interview on June 26, 2025, according to Comer’s office. But yesterday, the White House counsel’s office notified Bernal that it was waiving executive privilege regarding the Oversight Committee’s investigation.
Bernal’s legal team then told the committee he would no longer appear for the interview.
Comer’s team said in the press release that during the last Congress, the chairman subpoenaed three key White House aides, including Bernal, who allegedly ran interference for Biden to cover up his decline.
Despite the subpoenas, the White House under Biden allegedly obstructed the committee’s investigation by refusing to make the aides available for interviews or depositions.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.