by VDC staff
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday, October 28 released a staff report accusing President Joe Biden’s inner circle of concealing his physical and mental decline during his presidency and of authorizing executive actions without his direct involvement.
The 87-page report, titled “The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House,” alleges that senior White House aides and Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, misled the public about the president’s condition and facilitated official actions using an autopen signature without Biden’s explicit authorization.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) sent two formal referrals following the report’s release: one to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, requesting a Department of Justice review of all executive actions taken during the Biden administration, and another to the District of Columbia Board of Medicine, urging an inquiry into Dr. O’Connor’s conduct while serving as White House physician.
“The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history,” Comer said in a statement. “As Americans saw President Biden’s decline with their own eyes, Biden’s inner circle sought to deceive the public, cover up his decline, and took unauthorized executive actions with the autopen that are now invalid.”
The report’s findings stem from 14 depositions and transcribed interviews with former Biden officials, including ex–Chiefs of Staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients, senior advisors Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon, and former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Comer’s office said several witnesses—O’Connor, Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal—invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during questioning.
Among the key allegations detailed in the report:
- Concealment of Decline: The Committee asserts that top aides closely managed Biden’s schedule and public appearances to obscure signs of diminished capacity, including limiting press access and avoiding unscripted events.
- Political Interference in Medical Care: According to testimony cited by the report, White House advisors discouraged cognitive testing and influenced medical assessments to protect Biden’s political prospects.
- Autopen Authorization Issues: The Committee claims that aides exercised presidential authority without direct approval, using an autopen to sign executive actions, pardons, and commutations — actions Comer argues are legally “null and void.”
Comer’s letter to the Justice Department calls for a “comprehensive review” of all executive orders, memoranda, and pardons issued under Biden. The separate letter to the D.C. Board of Medicine requests an evaluation of Dr. O’Connor’s medical reporting and potential ethical violations.
The report also criticizes Democratic members of the Oversight Committee, claiming they showed little interest in the investigation. According to the committee’s summary, Democrats asked only about 3.5 hours of questions during nearly 47 hours of testimony.
Democratic members of the committee have not yet issued a formal response to the report’s release.
The full report, along with transcripts and video excerpts from witness interviews, has been posted on the Oversight Committee’s website.