Jill Biden's 'shadowy' chief of staff clams up during autopen probe

Former first lady Jill Biden's senior adviser, Anthony Bernal, appears desperate to avoid questions under oath about the former president's cognitive decline while in office, its cover-up, and its alleged exploitation behind the scenes.

Bernal was originally supposed to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee on June 26 but bailed after learning that President Donald Trump was taking a page out of his predecessor's book and waiving executive privilege for the investigation, meaning Bernal would be required to provide lawmakers with "unrestricted testimony."

Bernal — characterized as one of the most influential people in the Biden White House and a key member of Biden's so-called politburo in CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios correspondent Alex Thompson's new book, "Original Sin" — was subsequently met with a subpoena compelling his testimony before the committee.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the committee, emphasized in the letter accompanying the subpoena his desire to know whether Bernal "contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people."

Bernal had been, after all, in a prime position to conceal and possibly exploit Biden's decrepitude.

Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg told an undercover Project Veritas reporter earlier this year that "Jill Biden's chief of staff had an enormous amount of power" in the White House.

RELATED: Biden tried defending autopen use to the New York Times. He made it a whole lot worse.

  Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Deterrian Jones, a former staffer in the Biden administration's Office of Digital Strategy who also gabbed to an undercover reporter, suggested that Bernal was a "shadowy, 'Wizard of Oz'-type figure" who "wielded an enormous amount of power."

"I can't stress to you how much power he had at the White House," Jones added.

Exactly one week after Joe Biden's White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor, refused to answer the committee's questions on-theme, Bernal similarly clammed up, citing the Fifth Amendment.

The concern shared by both men over self-incrimination appears to signal that investigators are right over the target, particularly with regard to the matter of the use and possible abuse of the autopen.

'Every order, every bill that was signed, every memorandum — so far as I'm concerned — are null and void.'

"This week new reporting confirms President Biden's aides took unauthorized executive actions during his presidency amid his cognitive decline," Comer noted on X. "It's no surprise that Anthony Bernal is pleading the Fifth Amendment to shield himself from criminal liability."

The chairman was referencing the New York Times' recent reporting on Biden White House emails which indicated that the former president was not directly involved in numerous controversial actions that were run through the autopen.

Biden also admitted last week to the Times that he orally communicated his decisions to aides; that the autopen was used liberally because there were "a whole lot of people"; and that he did not personally approve every individual categorical clemency.

Comer indicated that Bernal specifically pleaded the Fifth "when asked if any unelected official or family members executed the duties of the President and if Joe Biden ever instructed him to lie about his health."

RELATED: A look at the next Biden insiders to testify to Congress about 'historic scandal'

 Photo by Mandel Ngan - Pool/Getty Images

"This is a historic scandal and Americans demand transparency and accountability," Comer continued. "We will continue to pursue the truth on their behalf and examine options to get the answers we need."

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) told reporters on Wednesday, "The fact that [Bernal] couldn't make any statement, the fact that the White House doctor couldn't make any statement, and they both pled the Fifth — which is their constitutional right to do, and we respect the Constitution like every American does — but the fact that they are now hiding behind the Constitution so that they don't have to tell the truth to the American people about Joe Biden's capabilities and mental faculties while he was president of the United States is not just shocking; it's stunning, and it demonstrates the level of corruption that was going in that administration."

Donalds noted further that if Biden was not in fact in charge of his administration, "then every order, every bill that was signed, every memorandum — so far as I'm concerned — are null and void."

Time will tell whether the other Biden insiders set to testify before the committee in the coming weeks will similarly plead the Fifth.

Ron Klain is set to testify on July 24; Steve Ricchetti on July 30; Mike Donilon on July 31; Bruce Reed on Aug. 5; and Anita Dunn on Aug. 7.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!