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Inside the Biden cover-up probe: 8 aides questioned, more on the way
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House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating whether former President Joe Biden’s closest aides worked to conceal evidence of mental decline in the octogenarian Democrat during his White House term, and whether an autopen was used for executive decisions without his knowledge.
Biden himself asserted to the New York Times that he «made every decision» regarding autopen pardons specifically, and his allies have dismissed the GOP-led probe as a partisan show.
Several ex-senior White House officials are due in the coming weeks, including former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and ex-White House chief of staff Jeff Zeints.
But Comer’s staff have also met with a number of people so far – some who have said very little, while others have given no information at all.
COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’
Former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity while in office is the subject of a probe by the GOP-run House Oversight Committee. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Below are the eight people who have sat down with House investigators so far:
Neera Tanden
Former White House staff secretary Neera Tanden appeared for a voluntary interview on June 24.
A source familiar with Tanden’s interview said she described having «minimal interaction» with Biden during her sit-down with investigators.
Former Biden aide Neera Tanden was the first to appear in Comer’s probe. (Getty Images)
Tanden also said she would submit requests for autopen signatures to members of Biden’s team, but was not aware of what actions or approvals occurred between the time she sent the memo and the time she received it back with the president’s approval, the source said.
Tanden’s lawyer told Fox News at the time that she «consistently followed a protocol» that was used by both Republican and Democratic administrations in the past.
«That same protocol existed in the Clinton and Obama administrations, which Ms. Tanden learned in discussions with previous staff secretaries from those administrations. She further understood and believed that the same process was followed in the Trump 1 and Bush administrations,» the lawyer said.
Tanden had been tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) early in Biden’s term, but she withdrew after bipartisan pushback in the Senate.
Kevin O’Connor
Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor was the second ex-Biden administration official to appear when he came in on July 9, and the first to appear under subpoena.
Before serving as White House doctor, however, O’Connor was known to be a close associate of the Biden family for years.
Investigators were hoping to learn whether O’Connor knowingly obscured signs of advanced aging or loss of mental acuity in Biden. He notably met with a Parkinson’s Disease expert at the White House at one point, according to the New York Times – though the revelations were downplayed by the White House at the time.
O’Connor’s lawyers had attempted to delay his scheduled deposition date over concerns that the scope of the committee’s investigation would violate doctor-patient confidentiality.
He ultimately did appear when Comer rejected his delay request, but O’Connor was in and out of the committee room in less than an hour after pleading the Fifth Amendment to all questions, save for his name.
FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP
Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is a longtime Biden advisor who still works for the former president, according to her LinkedIn. She appeared for a voluntary transcribed interview on July 11.
The close Biden ally’s time with him goes back to assisting then-second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers.
Ashley Williams, former deputy director of White House Oval Office operations, said she did not «recall» to multiple questions. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She served as his trip director for the 2020 campaign before being hired to the White House as deputy director of Oval Office Operations and a special assistant to the president.
Williams repeatedly told committee staff during her sit-down that she did not «recall» various things «an untold number of times,» but that she believed Biden was fit to be president today, a source told Fox News Digital.
«Examples include she could not recall if she spoke with President Biden in the last week, if teleprompters were used for Cabinet meetings, if there were discussions about President Biden using a wheelchair, if there were discussions about a cognitive test, if she discussed a mental or physical decline of President Biden, if she ever had to wake President Biden up and how she got involved with his 2020 campaign,» the source said.
Anthony Bernal
Anthony Bernal, who was nicknamed Jill Biden’s «work husband» for their close relationship, was the second person subpoenaed to appear.
Like O’Connor, Bernal’s July 16 deposition lasted less than an hour after he pleaded the Fifth Amendment to investigators.
Bernal served as former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady. He also still appears to work for the Bidens, according to LinkedIn, which says he works for Jill Biden specifically.
«During his deposition today, Mr. Bernal 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,» Comer said in a statement after Bernal’s deposition.
RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE
Annie Tomasini
Former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations Annie Tomasini had been scheduled to appear for a transcribed interview, before her counsel requested a subpoena from Comer shortly before her July 18 appearance.
Tomasini followed O’Connor and Bernal’s lead in pleading the Fifth Amendment, which people coming in voluntarily cannot do.
«During her deposition today, Ms. Tomasini pleaded the Fifth when asked if Joe Biden, a member of his family, or anyone at the White House instructed her to lie regarding his health at any time,» Comer said in a statement after her deposition.
«She also pleaded the Fifth when asked if she ever advised President Biden on the handling of classified documents found in his garage, if President Biden or anyone in the White House instructed her to conceal or destroy classified material found at President Biden’s home or office, and if she ever conspired with anyone in the White House to hide information regarding the Biden family’s ‘business’ dealings.»
She first worked for Biden as a press secretary when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a U.S. senator from Delaware.
Ron Klain
Ron Klain served as Biden’s chief of staff for the first two years of his White House term and played a key role in preparing him for his disastrous 2024 presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.
Klain told investigators that he believed Biden’s memory got worse over time, but he still had the ability to govern, a source familiar with his interview told Fox News Digital.
The source said Klain also claimed to have heard concerns about Biden’s political viability from both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Biden’s own national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, by 2024, though it’s not clear if those concerns are tied to his mental acuity nor that they spoke to Klain together.
A spokesperson for Sullivan vehemently denied the account.
Klain also told investigators that Biden appeared tired and ill before the 2024 debate, the source said.
In a letter requesting his appearance, Comer quoted Klain as cutting Biden’s debate prep short last year, «due to the president’s fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter,» adding that Biden «didn’t really understand what his argument was on inflation,» citing a POLITICO report from earlier this year.
LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION
Steve Ricchetti
Former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti sat down with House investigators earlier this week on voluntary terms.
Unlike the vast majority of others before him, who did not acknowledge media gathered outside the committee room, Ricchetti told Fox News’ Chad Pergram that «of course» Biden was up to the job of president.
Ricchetti’s interview was also the longest by far – running roughly eight hours on Wednesday.
Former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti met with House investigators on Wednesday for what was described as a «combative» interview. (Getty Images)
A source familiar with Ricchetti’s sitdown described him as «combative and defensive» during exchanges with House Oversight staff.
Ricchetti asserted he had personal relationships with Jill Biden and Hunter Biden in addition to the former president, the source said.
His own family had relationships with the Biden administration as well – three of his four children worked in the Treasury, State Department and in the White House.
The longtime Democratic operative and lobbyist was one of two longtime trusted aides reportedly with Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, when he drafted his bombshell letter announcing he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
Mike Donilon
Former senior advisor to the president Mike Donilon is the latest member of Biden’s inner circle to appear before House investigators, sitting down with them voluntarily on Thursday for roughly five hours.
Longtime Biden advisor Mike Donilon told House Oversight Committee investigators he could’ve gotten up to $8 million had Biden won re-election. (Getty Images)
Donilon first began working for Biden in 1981 as a pollster when Biden was the junior U.S. senator from Delaware.
Alongside Ricchetti, he was one of two Biden aides who were present when he drafted his announcement dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
Donilon told investigators he received $4 million to work for Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign and would have gotten $4 million more if Biden had won, a source told Fox News Digital.
He staunchly defended Biden during his interview, the source said, accusing Democrats of overreacting in the wake of Biden’s debate.
Six other ex-Biden administration aides are still set to appear in the coming weeks. (Fox News )
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Donilon told investigators Biden is «a leader who was deeply engaged and in command on critical issues,» according to his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
«Every president ages over the four years of a presidency and President Biden did as well, but he also continued to grow stronger and wiser as a leader as a result of being tested by some of the most difficult challenges any president has ever faced,» Donilon said.
Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos envía al portaaviones más grande del mundo al Caribe y crece la tensión con Venezuela
El Pentágono anunció este viernes el despliegue de un portaaviones y su flotilla acompañante para “contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo” en América Latina.
Estados Unidos movilizó en agosto destructores, un submarino y barcos con fuerzas especiales en aguas internacionales del Caribe sur, cerca de las costas de Venezuela, con el supuesto propósito de combatir el tráfico de drogas.
Leé también: Máxima tensión en el Caribe: Trump amenazó con atacar por tierra a organizaciones narco en Venezuela
Aunque ha habido regularmente presencia de portaaviones para ejercicios de entrenamiento con fuerzas de países vecinos, es la primera vez que Estados Unidos despliega una fuerza de esta magnitud en América Latina contra el narcotráfico.
El despliegue del grupo de ataque del portaaviones USS Gerald R. Ford se produce “en apoyo a la directiva del presidente de desmantelar las Organizaciones Criminales Transnacionales (TCOs) y contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo en defensa de la Patria”, dijo en X el portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell.
Anuncio del portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell. (Foto: X / @SeanParnellASW)
En tanto, el comunicado del Pentágono no indica la fecha en que llegará el portaaviones a la región. El USS Ford, que tiene cinco destructores en su grupo de ataque, está desplegado actualmente en el mar Mediterráneo.
Una persona familiarizada con la operación dijo a la agencia AP que uno de esos destructores está en el mar Arábigo y otro en el mar Rojo. En el momento del anuncio, el portaaviones estaba en un puerto de Croacia, en el mar Adriático.
La persona, que declaró bajo condición de anonimato para hablar de operaciones militares sensibles, no quiso decir cuánto tiempo tomaría para que el grupo de ataque llegue a las aguas frente a Venezuela o si los cinco destructores harían el viaje.
Horas antes de este anuncio, el secretario de Guerra, Pete Hegseth, informó vía X el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha, con un balance de seis muertos.
En la noche del jueves, el Departamento de Guerra de Estados Unidos lanzó el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha que navegaba frente a las costas de Venezuela. (Video: secretario de Defensa Pete Hegseth X @SecWar)
Al menos 43 personas han muerto en el Caribe y en el Pacífico desde que Estados Unidos inició su actual campaña sin precedentes de ataques letales mediante misiles en la región, el 2 de septiembre.
La embarcación destruida en la noche del jueves al viernes operaba para el cártel Tren de Aragua, aseguró el secretario en la red X. “Nuestros servicios de inteligencia sabían que la embarcación estaba involucrada en el contrabando de narcóticos”, agregó, y dijo que el ataque tuvo lugar en “aguas internacionales”.
Leé también: Aseguran que el chavismo le ofreció a EE.UU. un nuevo gobierno de transición sin Nicolás Maduro
Este fue el primer ataque nocturno en la zona, explicó Hegseth, que acompañó su mensaje con un video en blanco y negro en el que se ve una lancha que circula a velocidad normal, hasta que explota.
El jefe del Pentágono advirtió que Estados Unidos tratará a los “narcoterroristas” como ha tratado a la organización terrorista “Al Qaeda” de Osama bin Laden.
Petro acusó a EE.UU. de cometer “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”
Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro, que mantiene un pulso particular con el inquilino de la Casa Blanca, Donald Trump.
El líder republicano avisó al inicio de su actual mandato que estaba dispuesto a utilizar todo el potencial militar estadounidense para acabar con las rutas del narcotráfico y con los cárteles.
Para ello, declaró a los cárteles como el de Sinaloa o Tren de Aragua “organizaciones terroristas”, mediante decreto presidencial. Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro. (Foto: Reuters)
Esto permitiría a Washington, según el gobierno, utilizar las mismas herramientas que usó durante dos décadas en todo el mundo tras los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001 de Al Qaeda.
Estados Unidos está en “conflicto armado” con los cárteles de la droga, explicó Trump en una carta enviada al Congreso. Además, asegura que el tráfico marítimo de droga prácticamente ha sido erradicado. Sin embargo, el ritmo de los ataques con misiles contra las embarcaciones se ha incrementado.
Al mismo tiempo, el presidente evoca de manera creciente que está dispuesto a emprenderla contra los intereses “narcoterroristas” en tierra firme, sin aclarar dónde. El Pentágono no indicó la fecha en que el portaaviones llegará al Caribe sur. (Foto: AFP / Jonathan Klein)
El jueves, Washington anunció junto a Trinidad y Tobago ejercicios militares conjuntos frente a las costas de Venezuela con el buque de guerra USS Gravely. El gobierno del país caribeño decidió brindar “categóricamente su claro apoyo a la intervención militar en curso”.
“Incendiar” América del Sur
Venezuela movilizó tropas y milicias ante la amenaza estadounidense.
Nicolás Maduro, acusado por el gobierno estadounidense y encausado oficialmente ante un tribunal en Nueva York por supuestamente encabezar el denominado cártel de los Soles, sostiene que la verdadera intención de Washington es promover un cambio de régimen en su país.
En este contexto, Celso Amorim -asesor especial del presidente brasileño, Lula da Silva- sentenció que una “intervención externa” en Venezuela “puede incendiar” América del Sur, durante una entrevista con la AFP.
Leé también: Venezuela aseguró que un sector “extremista” de EE.UU. quiere colocar explosivos en su embajada en Caracas
“No podemos aceptar una intervención externa porque eso va a crear un resentimiento inmenso”, agregó Amorim.
Trump llegó a confirmar que la CIA podría llevar a cabo operaciones encubiertas dentro de Venezuela.
La oposición demócrata en el Congreso estadounidense también exigió explicaciones, ya que la Constitución establece que el Congreso debe autorizar expresamente una declaración de guerra.
Ante esta situación, Trump declaró que está dispuesto a enviar a Hegseth ante el Congreso para dar explicaciones antes de pasar a una nueva fase en tierra.
Con información de AP y AFP.
Narcotráfico, Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, Venezuela
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Frantic manhunt launched after asylum seeker who sexually assaulted teen accidentally freed from prison
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Britain’s immigration system is under fire after officials confirmed an Ethiopian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and another woman was accidentally released from prison Friday, sparking a manhunt for the fugitive sex offender.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was sentenced in September to 12 months behind bars, Reuters reported.
An «appalled» British Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed the release of Kebatu, calling it «totally unacceptable,» according to The Associated Press.
His arrest in July ignited weeks of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, a migrant housing site about 20 miles north of London, according to the report.
DHS FLIPS SCRIPT ON MEDIA NARRATIVE WITH NEW DETAILS ABOUT ILLEGAL TEEN ARRESTED BY ICE: ‘SAFETY THREAT’
At its peak in 2023, the home secretary said more than 400 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers, costing nearly £9 million GBP per day, or roughly $11.3 million.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. (Essex Police)
«We share the view of communities nationwide that these hotels must close — including the Bell Hotel in Epping,» U.K. Foreign Secretary and Labour MP Yvette Cooper wrote in a previous statement. «We are moving to do so as quickly as possible through a structured and sustainable plan, rather than through one-off court rulings that create more problems for other local areas or councils.
«Such piecemeal decisions risk repeating the chaos that led to the large-scale use of hotels in the first place.»
Officials said Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention center for deportation but was mistakenly freed, according to the report.
People protest outside Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
Britain’s Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy wrote in an X post he was «appalled at the release in error at HMP Chelmsford.»
«We are urgently working with the police to track him down, and I’ve ordered an urgent investigation,» Lammy wrote. «Kebatu must be deported for his crimes, not on our streets.»
Kemi Badenoch, a conservative member of Parliament for North West Essex, also made a fiery post, saying the «entire system is collapsing under Labour.»
«The fake asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a child in Epping has been ‘released in error,’» Badenoch wrote. «How does that happen? Because the entire system is collapsing under Labour. Govt mistakenly letting people out instead of deporting. Those they deported are coming back. Nothing of substance has been done to address the threat to women and girls living in these communities.»
Protesters react next to police during a protest near Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain, in August. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
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Badenoch said conservatives voted against Labour’s prisoner release program because it was «putting predators back on our streets,» but she pointed out Kebatu was just convicted.
«A level of incompetence that beggars belief,» she wrote. «Only Conservatives have a plan for stronger borders and public order.»
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Nigel Farage, a member of Parliament for Clacton and the leader of Reform UK, added on X, «The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.»
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The White House pushed back on reports claiming President Donald Trump will likely name the upcoming White House ballroom after himself, saying any name designation for the event space will come directly from the president.
«Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,» White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Friday.
Reports spread like wildfire Friday afternoon that Trump planned to name the ballroom after himself, with ABC News publishing a report that administration officials were reportedly already calling the project «The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.»
«I won’t get into that now,» Trump told ABC News Thursday when asked about a potential name, the outlet noted.
DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP’S BALLROOM IS NO VANITY PROJECT, IT’S ABOUT AMERICAN GRANDEUR
The White House said President Trump would directly reveal a name for the upcoming White House ballroom. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, after months of Trump touting the upcoming project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the administration has repeatedly said.
«For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!» Trump posted to Truth Social on Monday. «The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!»
TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
The ballroom’s official construction set off a firestorm of criticisms among Democrats who have characterized Trump as destroying the iconic American residence.
«Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,» Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted to X in response to Trump’s Monday announcement.
«The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House,» former first daughter Chelsea Clinton posted to X. «The erasure of the East Wing isn’t just about marble or plaster — it’s about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law.»
A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the exterior of the new ballroom. (White House)
«I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,» New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. «We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.»
HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE»
The Trump administration repeatedly has hit back at the criticisms, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying on Fox News that presidents historically have wanted a large entertaining space at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
President Donald Trump shows an image of his planned ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
«Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,» Leavitt said on Fox News’ «Jesse Watters Primetime» Tuesday. «In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.»
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«President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.»
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