Jill Biden's ‘work husband' Anthony Bernal hit with subpoena after dodging request for testimony on ex-prez's cognitive decline
WASHINGTON — House Republicans subpoenaed a top aide to former President Joe Biden to testify about whether there was an 'effort to hide' the 46th commander-in-chief's cognitive decline while he was in office.
Anthony Bernal, a former senior aide to Biden and 'work husband' to first lady Jill Biden, had informed the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that he wouldn't be sitting for a transcribed interview about the alleged cover-up.
3 Jill Biden's 'work husband' Anthony Bernal is refusing to appear before a house-led probe over Joe Biden's cognitive decline.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
3 Anthony Bernal is seen outside Saint Edmond Roman Catholic Church waiting for President Joe Biden to leave after attending Mass in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on August 12, 2023.
AFP via Getty Images
Bernal had been slated to appear on Thursday but pulled out after the Trump White House counsel's office informed former Domestic Policy Council director Neera Tanden, who gave evidence Tuesday, that she wouldn't be granted executive privilege.
The power keeps White House and presidential communications confidential, but can only be granted by the current administration.
3 Joe Biden speaking during an event on Jan. 19, 2025.
AFP via Getty Images
The subpoena demands that Bernal appear for a deposition on July 16.
Bernal's lawyer Jonathan Su, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, had asked to delay Thursday's scheduled interview to prepare his client for questioning based on topics provided by the Oversight panel, the subpoena's cover letter shows.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Kentucky Senate hopeful Nate Morris pledges his loyalty to President Trump
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican businessman Nate Morris entered Kentucky's competitive campaign Thursday to succeed longtime Senate power broker Mitch McConnell , branding himself as a political outsider and loyal supporter of President Donald Trump's MAGA movement. Morris joins U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and ex-state Attorney General Daniel Cameron as GOP heavyweights vying for their party's nomination next spring in the Republican-leaning Bluegrass State. He said his campaign would become a referendum on McConnell's Senate record, and he tried to link his two Republican rivals to the senator, though Morris has his own past ties to McConnell.
Politico
37 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump claims Iran's nuclear program has been ‘obliterated.' Senate Republicans aren't entirely convinced.
A number of Senate Republicans exited an afternoon briefing on U.S. airstrikes in Iran not quite ready to endorse President Donald Trump's claim that Tehran's nuclear program was 'obliterated.' Trump and other top Cabinet officials have spent the last 36 hours furiously doubling down on that characterization. But after hearing from several of Trump's top military and intelligence officials on the latest damage assessment, Senate Republicans were more restrained in their responses — even as they trumpeted the attacks' success. 'I don't think anybody's been on the ground to assess the extent of the damage,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told reporters after the briefing. Asked whether Iran's nuclear program was set back months, years or was obliterated, as Trump has claimed, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said, 'All of those things are true.' 'Everybody's got their own word: setback, obliterated, destroyed, greatly diminished,' Cramer told reporters. 'It's all of those things. I think all those are accurate, depending on how you use any one of those terms.' Some Democrats were more pointedly skeptical of the Trump administration's vehement victory lap following the closed-door briefing. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he 'did not receive an adequate answer' from administration officials to questions about Iran's nuclear capabilities being obliterated. While Cornyn and some other Republicans expressed uncertainty about how long Iran's nuclear program had been set back by the attacks, they nonetheless hailed the strikes as a major blow to Iran's nuclear capabilities. 'My impression, both before I went in and coming out, is that it was damaged heavily,' said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). 'Whether it's a year or years, it was heavily damaged. Some people are more skeptical.' 'The guys hit the targets as planned, the munitions worked exactly as planned, and the results were as expected,' Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) added. The classified session — where senators heard from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine and CIA director John Ratcliffe on the airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear sites — came after days of complaints from lawmakers that Capitol Hill wasn't kept in the loop on Saturday's surprise attack. It also follows the leak of a preliminary intelligence assessment that appeared to undercut the Trump administration's claims that the attack decisively knocked out Tehran's nuclear program. Notably absent from the briefing was Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump publicly rebuked when asked about her testimony before Congress in March that Iran isn't seeking to build a nuclear weapon. 'She was kept out of that room because she has a disagreement with the people in that room,' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) suggested. 'Obviously, her prior disagreement was on the amount of time it was going to take for Iran to get a nuclear weapon before the strikes happened.' Hawkish Republicans were quick to concur with Trump's assessment. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally who had urged him to strike Iran, agreed that the nuclear program was 'obliterated' at the three sites the U.S. bombed. But Graham also said he still has concerns about Tehran's uranium stockpile and whether its nuclear program could be reconstituted. 'They're obliterated today, but you can reconstitute it,' Graham said. 'Isn't the real question: Have we obliterated their desire to have a nuclear weapon?' 'I don't want people to think the site wasn't severely damaged or obliterated. It was,' he added. 'But having said that, I don't want people to think the problem is over because it's not. They're going to keep trying this until they change their stated goal.' The U.S. launched Operation Midnight Hammer late Saturday, targeting three of Iran's key nuclear sites to neutralize Tehran's ability to build a nuclear weapon. The mission involved seven B-2 stealth aircraft and a guided missile submarine, and marked the first combat use ever of the 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker busting bomb, with 14 dropped on the Fordo facility and other sites. Trump swiftly claimed on social media that the mission resulted in a 'total obliteration' of Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities. He and allies in the administration subsequently rallied around the messaging and rebuffed a preliminary intelligence assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency that reportedly concluded that core components of Iran's nuclear program remain intact and that its uranium stockpile was moved before the strike. Hegseth at a press conference earlier Thursday didn't directly rebut any of the preliminary assessment's conclusions but noted that it had been labeled 'low confidence' and that the press had exaggerated its significance. The Pentagon chief alleged the report was 'leaked because someone had an agenda to try to muddy the waters.' The administration's briefing won some praise from Democrats, who have, for the most part, slammed Trump for leaving Congress in the dark. 'It was a constructive, substantive briefing,' said Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the top Democrat on the panel that controls the Pentagon budget. 'I will give those guys credit in there, they were transparent with us,' said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'They answered our questions. It wasn't confrontational in any way. It was a good brief.' Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), the most vocal supporter of Iran strikes among Senate Democrats, said the U.S. 'will know more and more as there's more time' following the strike, but said 'What's out so far confirms that significant damage was done.' Top Democrats, though, are still pushing for a vote on legislation to block Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional approval. The Senate could vote as soon as Thursday on a war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), though it is a long shot to pass the chamber. 'Anyone in that meeting, anyone, if they're being honest with themselves ... would know that we need to enforce the War Powers Act and force them to articulate an answer to some specific questions and a coherent strategy right away,' Schumer said.
42 minutes ago
Lawmakers remove ‘revenge' tax provision from Trump's big bill after Treasury Department request
WASHINGTON -- Congressional Republicans agreed to remove the so-called revenge tax provision from President Donald Trump's big bill on Thursday after a request by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Section 899 provision that was nixed would have allowed the federal government to impose taxes on companies with foreign owners, as well as investors from countries judged as charging 'unfair foreign taxes' on U.S. companies. The measure was expected to lead many companies to avoid investing in the U.S. out of concern that they could face steep taxes. But the removal of the provision adds a wrinkle to Republicans' plans to try to offset the cost of the massive package. Bessent said in an X post that he made the request to lawmakers after reaching an agreement with other countries on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Global Tax Deal. He said that after 'months of productive dialogue,' they would 'announce a joint understanding among G7 countries that defends American interests.' Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., said they would remove the provision. But, they noted, 'Congressional Republicans stand ready to take immediate action if the other parties walk away from this deal or slow walk its implementation.' The removal of the provision will provide 'greater certainty and stability for the global economy and will enhance growth and investment in the United States and beyond,' Bessent said in his post. An analysis by the Global Business Alliance, a trade group representing international companies such as Toyota and Nestlé, estimates that the provision would have cost the U.S. 360,000 jobs and $55 billion annually over 10 years in lost gross domestic product. The Global Business Alliance was among several groups that signed a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Crapo warning of the consequences of Section 899. Republicans are rushing to finish the package this week to meet the president's Fourth of July deadline for passage. Earlier Thursday, the Senate parliamentarian advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to the spending bill does not adhere to the chamber's procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow to Republicans, who are counting on big cuts to Medicaid and other programs to offset trillions of dollars in Trump tax breaks. ___
