Biden Aide Invokes Fifth in Oversight Probe

Anthony Bernal, former chief of staff to Jill Biden and a close aide to the Biden family, invoked his Fifth Amendment right during a House Oversight Committee deposition investigating allegations of a cover-up concerning former President Joe Biden’s cognitive health and the use of autopen for signing official documents. Bernal’s refusal to testify comes after Biden’s former physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, also invoked the Fifth, fueling Republican assertions of possible unauthorized executive actions and a lack of transparency during Biden’s presidency. Committee Chairman James Comer and other GOP lawmakers criticized Bernal's silence as evidence of a cover-up, while Democrats and legal experts emphasized that invoking the Fifth is a constitutional protection and not an admission of guilt. The probe centers on Biden’s fitness for presidential duties and whether unelected officials or family members performed executive actions during his administration. The investigation has collected thousands of documents and summoned multiple former aides. Transcripts of the interviews are expected to be released after all proceedings conclude.