Comer calls for interviews with Biden's doctor, other White House aides
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) called for interviews of five of former President Biden's aides regarding what he described as an effort to cover up the leader's reported cognitive decline.
Comer has requested transcribed statements from Biden's physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor, former Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden and former assistants Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini and Ashley Williams.
'The American people deserve to know when this decline began, how far it progressed, and who was making critical decisions on his behalf,' Comer, who serves as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a Thursday statement.
'Key executive actions signed by autopen, such as sweeping pardons for the Biden Crime Family, must be examined considering President Biden's diminished capacity,' he added.
Comer's call for interviews comes after his committee announced it will hold hearings about Biden's cognitive functions and autopen usage throughout his administration.
A group of GOP senators on Thursday demanded that Biden officials testify about the alleged cover-up.
Biden and his wife, Jill, have denied reports alleging the leader experienced a sharp cognitive decline while in office.
Less than a year after leaving the Oval Office, journalists and former staffers have come forward with claims of former President Biden's mental lapses.
A transcript of his two-day interview with former special counsel Robert Hur's interview was made public last year after the Biden White House blocked the Justice Department from releasing the audio recording.
Hur closed his investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents, concluding that he was a 'well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.'
However, newly leaked audio published by Axios showcased Biden's long pauses and lapses during the tape.
After reviewing the clip, Comer said Biden wasn't capable of making decisions and became incoherent.
The Kentucky lawmaker has requested to interview five of the former president's closest aides before the House committee on June 18.
Biden's mental state and age have come into the spotlight in recent weeks amid the release of two high-profile books about the 2024 presidential election — 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again' by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, and 'Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House' by The Hill's Amie Parnes and NBC's Jonathan Allen.
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