WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 A former senior aide to Jill Biden on Wednesday became the second person to invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer questions from House Republicans who are investigating President Joe Biden's mental state and use of the autopen while in office.
Anthony Bernal, who previously served as chief of staff to former first lady , was subpoenaed for his testimony by the House Oversight Committee. He declined to answer questions, invoking the protections that prevent people from being forced to testify against themselves in government proceedings.
鈥淲ell, unfortunately, that was quick,鈥 said Rep. , chair of the House Oversight Committee, after the deposition ended. "I believe the American people are concerned. They鈥檙e concerned that there were people making decisions in the White House that were not only unelected but no one to this day knows who they were.鈥
Bernal ignored questions from reporters as he entered and exited the House Oversight Committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Jonathan Su, who was a deputy White House counsel to the former president. Su in a statement provided to the committee noted that pleading the Fifth is not evidence of wrongdoing.
The former president has dismissed the inquiries as legally spurious. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Biden said that he delegated responsibilities when necessary as president but was actively involved and knowledgeable of all of his administration鈥檚 actions, including on granting clemency.
鈥淚 consciously made all those decisions,鈥 Biden said.
Comer has has sought testimony from nearly a dozen former Biden aides as he conducts his investigation, including former White House Ron Klain and Jeff Zients; former senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams.
On Tuesday, Comer also subpoenaed Annie Tomasini, a former White House deputy chief of staff, to appear before the committee on July 18. She is the third former official to be subpoenaed by the committee.
Democrats have been dismissive of the Republican probe as mere political theater.
鈥淭hey still look like losers,鈥 said Rep. , D-Texas, who sat in on Bernal鈥檚 committee deposition.
But many Republicans see the investigation as a top priority for their caucus and a politically salient issue for voters ahead of the midterm election. The into Biden's age while Senate Republicans have also .
鈥淭his is corruption at the highest level, because if you cannot answer a simple question about Joe Biden's capabilities, then that further demonstrates that he was not in charge of his administration,鈥 said Rep. , R-Fla., who sat in on Bernal's deposition.
Donalds said 鈥渆very member of the Biden administration, at this point, needs to be subpoenaed,鈥 including Vice President and Jill Biden.
Comer did not rule out seeking testimony from Harris or members of Biden's family.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to bring in everyone. We're moving up the line," Comer said. "We鈥檝e started with the lower level staffers that we think were the ones that actually put the documents in the autopen and pressed power. Now we鈥檙e moving up to the people that we think told the staffers to use the autopen."
鈥淪o we鈥檒l we鈥檒l see where that takes us,鈥 Comer said. "But I think the possibility is very good that we鈥檒l be asking members of the family to come in.鈥
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed reporting.
