One of Jill Biden’s top aides while Joe Biden and his entourage occupied the White House, Anthony Bernall, had agreed to testify to Congress about its investigation into the mental decline of Joe Biden while he was in office.
One of the key questions still unanswered is did Joe Biden actually know what was going out as law over his signature, which was applied to various documents with an autopen process.
While Bernall had agreed to testify, on Wednesday he abruptly refused, so now members of Congress have issued a subpoena that will require his testimony.
Key is that any claim of White House immunity has been waived by the administration of President Donald Trump, which has the authority to make such decisions for the Biden White House.
Bernall was to be the second witness coming out of the Biden administration on the topic of Joe Biden’s failings.
The Washington Examiner confirms that the House Oversight Committee has issued that subpoena, explaining he had “refused” to appear and answer questions.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the committee, said, addressing Bernall, “To advance the Committee’s oversight and legislative responsibilities and interests, your testimony is critical.”
The letter accompanied the subpoena.
The process to get Bernall’s testimony has been littered with problems. His counsel had demanded a weeks-long delay, and that prompted the committee to suggest a subpoena.
“Within ten minutes of the Committee’s email, your counsel responded that ‘no subpoena is necessary,’” Comer wrote. “Yesterday, on June 26, your counsel informed the Committee that you were no longer willing to appear voluntarily for the transcribed interview. … To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled.”
The investigation is looking at, among other things, “who was calling the shots” during Biden’s final two years in office, and why his signature was increasingly replaced by an autopen to sign certain executive orders.
Comer said, “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. With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth.”
Former White House aide Neera Tanden, in fact, was the first witness in the investigation. She admitted handling the autopen signature process on documents but claimed she didn’t know who ultimately authorized the actions.
“Tanden testified to the House Oversight Committee that she was authorized to direct autopen use from October 2021 to May 2023 while working as Biden’s staff secretary and senior adviser,” the Washington Examiner reported, citing her opening remarks.
She also told the committee she had limited contact with Biden and that she did not know exactly who provided final approval for use of the autopen, Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement.
Tanden also turned partisan in her comments, claiming the committee was overlooking Trump administration oversight to focus on Biden’s behavior and the behavior of the Democrat’s administration.
