The White House is currently investigating former President Joe Biden’s controversial use of autopen and his alleged declining mental health. Donald Trump, who returned to serve his second term in January this year, has often claimed that Biden’s cognitive decline led to his allies using the autopen to sign the pardoning documents.
In one of his Truth Social posts, Trump wrote, “Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime.”
The investigation being done by White House Counsel’s office has already obtained over 27,000 documents from NARA (National Archives and Records Administration). Meanwhile, former aides of Biden are also being summoned to provide testimonies about his mental state.
Biden’s autopen scandal is a betrayal of the American people.
“When you vote for someone, you expect them to call the shots. Legal actions—pardons—were done in Joe Biden’s name that he didn’t even know about. That’s wrong.” — @RepBrandonGill pic.twitter.com/mKDIGTnH6R
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 14, 2025
Anthony Bernal, a close aide to the Bidens, was also called in to provide his testimony. However, he pleaded the Fifth in front of a congressional committee, thus becoming the second former White House aide to do so.
Bernal’s close association with the Bidens isn’t hidden from anybody. In fact, he even gained the nickname of Jill Biden’s ‘work husband’ as per Katie Rogers’ book ‘American Woman,’ published earlier this year.
Watch the moment Anthony Bernal pleads the Fifth in probe of Biden health cover-up https://t.co/1GDbc9Kk3R pic.twitter.com/xGyUNtdVOw
— New York Post (@nypost) July 16, 2025
The former White House aide was blasted by Chairman James Comer as he said in a statement, “It’s no surprise that Anthony Bernal is pleading the Fifth Amendment to shield himself from criminal liability.”
“This is a historic scandal and Americans demand transparency and accountability. We will continue to pursue the truth on their behalf and examine options to get the answers we need,” he further lashed out in his statement, as per Irish Star.
He stated that his legal team was able to ask only a few questions to Bernal. This included: “Was President Joe Biden fit to exercise the duties of the president?” and “Did any unelected official or family member of President Joe Biden execute the duties of the presidency?”
Anthony Bernal, who was the chief of staff for former First Lady Jill Biden, invoked his Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer questions when he was called to testify at a deposition Wednesday. https://t.co/KtC51eOtBn
— NBC Montana (@NBCMontana) July 16, 2025
Last Friday, Kevin O’Connor pleaded the Fifth when he was asked if he had ever been instructed to “lie about the president’s health” or believed the president was “unfit to execute his duties.”
Bernal’s lawyer, Jonathan Su, who previously worked as deputy White House counsel to Joe Biden, stated that pleading the Fifth is not an evidence of wrongdoing. However, Rep. Byron Donalds said that it indicates “corruption at the highest level.”
He told the press, “If you cannot, say, answer a simple question about Joe Biden’s capabilities, then that further demonstrates that he was not in charge of his administration.”
“And if he was not in charge of his administration, then every order, every bill that was signed, every memorandum, as far as I’m concerned, are null and void,” he further emphasized.
Kevin O’Connon worked as Joe Biden’s physician during his vice presidency and presidency.
While the Republicans are trying to grill Biden’s former aides, the former president came forward stating that he made all the decisions himself. In a recent interview with The New York Times, he said, “I made every single one of those. I understand why Trump would think that, because obviously, I guess, he doesn’t focus much. Anyway, so—yes, I made every decision.”
“The autopen is legal. As you know, other presidents used it, including Trump. But the point is that, you know, we’re talking about a whole lot of people,” he also stated.
Former President Joe Biden, in an interview with The New York Times published Sunday, said that he personally made every clemency and pardon decision during the last few weeks of his presidency — including those made with an autopen.
Read more: https://t.co/42jeqHiTFj pic.twitter.com/PTIevMPJ8Q
— ABC News (@ABC) July 14, 202
Despite Biden’s statement, the Oversight Committee is hellbent to dig some dirt on him. Comer has stated that the committee will continue to summon Biden’s aides to uncover the secret of Joe Biden‘s declining mental health and ‘illegal use of the autopen’ for issuing pardons. While some perceive it as a targeted attack on the Democrat, others see it as a necessary step towards accountability and transparency.
