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Longtime Biden aide testifies he stood to earn up to $8M had president won re-election

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A longtime ally of former President Joe Biden told House Oversight Committee investigators that he could have been paid a total of $8 million if the former president won his 2024 re-election bid, a source familiar with the conversation told Fox News Digital.

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Michael Donilon served as senior advisor to the president for the entirety of Biden’s four-year term. Their relationship goes back decades, however; Donilon first worked for Biden in 1981 when he was a U.S. senator from Delaware.

He is the latest ex-Biden administration official to sit down with the committee behind closed doors as it investigates whether the former president’s inner circle covered up evidence of his alleged mental decline, and if executive actions were signed via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.

Donilon said he did not know what the autopen was used for and did not recall having any knowledge of the autopen, the source told Fox News Digital.

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COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’

Former Biden advisor Mike Donilon testified in a closed-door hearing as part of the House Oversight probe into the ex-president’s cognitive fitness. (Getty Images)

But Donilon, who was the top strategist for Biden’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns, would have apparently earned some $8 million total if Biden won.

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Donilon told investigators he was paid $4 million to work on Biden’s 2024 campaign, the source said. That information was reported by Axios reporter Alex Thompson and CNN host Jake Tapper in their book «Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.»

The $4 million he would have gained in addition would have come if Biden had won in 2024.

Biden infamously dropped out of the 2024 race after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump in June of that year, after weeks of mounting pressure by fellow Democrats, both in public and in private.

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Donilon told investigators he «believes the punditry and Democrats in Congress overreacted after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate,» the source said. Donilon also argued Biden’s communications skills «got stronger» during his time as president, the source added.

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President Joe Biden departs the White House with senior advisor Mike Donilon and deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed in April 2024, just months before Biden ended his re-election campaign. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

«During his interview, Mr. Donilon admitted that Joe Biden’s presence wasn’t as commanding, and he could stumble over more words. Mr. Donilon stated he was frustrated and knew it was difficult to get past the visuals of President Biden that people were seeing,» the source said.

In his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital, Donilon emphasized his 40-year relationship with Biden and touted the Democratic administration’s accomplishments through the COVID-19 pandemic, the rebound in job growth in its wake and the Inflation Reduction Act and other legislative wins.

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«I was with President Joe Biden from his first day in office to the last day. What I saw, day in and day out, was a leader who was deeply engaged and in command on critical issues, both at home and abroad,» Donilon said in his statement. 

«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.

«I thought that experience was enormously valuable for the nation. I believed that President Biden was the best person to lead the country on the day he took the oath of office and I continued to believe that was true every day he served as President.»

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RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE

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House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the probe into whether Biden’s staff concealed signs of his alleged mental decline. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Donilon is the eighth ex-Biden White House official to appear for the probe led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.

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A source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking previously called Republicans’ probe «dangerous» and «an attempt to smear and embarrass.»

«And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,» that source said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Donilon’s lawyer and a representative for Biden for comment.

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Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report

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Japón: Hiroshima llama al mundo a abandonar las armas nucleares 80 años después de la bomba atómica que devastó la ciudad

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Japón conmemora este miércoles el 80º aniversario del lanzamiento de la bomba atómica sobre Hiroshima, con una ceremonia que espera un récord de países participantes, en un contexto marcado por llamamientos a abandonar las armas nucleares y las guerras en Ucrania y Oriente Medio.

A las 08.15 del 6 de agosto de 1945, Estados Unidos arrojó su bomba atómica sobre esa ciudad nipona, lo que mató a unas 140.000 personas. Tres días después, un proyectil idéntico cayó sobre Nagasaki y dejó otros 74.000 fallecidos, aproximadamente.

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Estos dos ataques, que precipitaron el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, son los únicos casos en la historia en los que se han utilizado armas nucleares en tiempo de guerra.

Representantes de 120 países y regiones asistirán a la ceremonia organizada el miércoles en Hiroshima, según responsables de la ciudad.

Sin embargo, no estarán presentes grandes potencias nucleares como Rusia, China y Pakistán. Irán, acusado de intentar dotarse de una bomba atómica, sí estará representado.

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Contrariamente a su costumbre, Japón ha indicado que no ha «seleccionado a sus invitados» para estas conmemoraciones, sino que ha «notificado» a todos los países y regiones la celebración del evento.

Así, Palestina y Taiwán, que Tokio no reconoce oficialmente como países, han anunciado su presencia en este evento por primera vez.

La Cúpula de la Bomba Atómica se refleja en el río Motoyasu durante un evento de fuego de agua en el Parque Conmemorativo de la Paz en Hiroshima, oeste de Japón. Foto EFE

«La existencia de líderes (políticos) que quieren reforzar su poder militar para resolver los conflictos, incluso mediante la posesión de armas atómicas, dificulta el establecimiento de la paz mundial», declaró la semana pasada el alcalde de Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, en referencia a las guerras en Ucrania y Oriente Medio.

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Matsui también instó el mes pasado a Donald Trump a visitar Hiroshima, después de que el presidente estadounidense comparara los recientes ataques aéreos contra Irán con los bombardeos atómicos de 1945.

«Me parece que no comprende plenamente la realidad de los bombardeos atómicos, que, si se utilizan, cuestan la vida a muchos ciudadanos inocentes, ya sean amigos o enemigos, y amenazan la supervivencia de la humanidad», subrayó entonces el alcalde.

Hoy en día, Hiroshima es una próspera metrópoli de 1,2 millones de habitantes, pero las ruinas de un edificio coronado por el esqueleto metálico de una cúpula se alzan en el centro de la ciudad, recordando el horror del ataque.

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«Es importante que muchas personas se reúnan en esta ciudad afectada por la bomba atómica, porque las guerras continúan» en todo el mundo, insistió Toshiyuki Mimaki, copresidente de Nihon Hidankyo, un grupo de supervivientes de la bomba ganador del Premio Nobel de la Paz 2024.

En 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó dos bombas nucleares sobre las ciudades de Hiroshima y Nagasaki el 6 y el 9 de agosto, respectivamente, causando la muerte de más de 200.000 personas. Foto EFEEn 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó dos bombas nucleares sobre las ciudades de Hiroshima y Nagasaki el 6 y el 9 de agosto, respectivamente, causando la muerte de más de 200.000 personas. Foto EFE

Nihon Hidankyo insta a los países a actuar para eliminar las armas nucleares, al basarse en los testimonios de los supervivientes de Hiroshima y Nagasaki, conocidos como «hibakusha».

«Deseo que los representantes extranjeros visiten el Museo Memorial de la Paz y comprendan lo que ocurrió», explicó Mimaki.

Transmitir la memoria de los «hibakusha» y las lecciones aprendidas de la catástrofe es un reto cada vez mayor para esta organización, ya que la edad media de los supervivientes es ahora de 86 años.

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Un visitante observa una enorme fotografía de Hiroshima devastada por el primer bombardeo atómico del mundo en el Museo Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, Japón. Foto EFEUn visitante observa una enorme fotografía de Hiroshima devastada por el primer bombardeo atómico del mundo en el Museo Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, Japón. Foto EFE

«Creo que la tendencia mundial hacia un mundo sin armas nucleares continuará. La generación joven está trabajando duro para lograrlo», aseguró a la AFP Kunihiko Sakuma, de 80 años, que tenía nueve meses cuando se produjo el bombardeo y se encontraba a 3 km del punto de impacto.

Sakuma, que se reunirá con el primer ministro Shigeru Ishiba tras la ceremonia, tiene la intención de pedirle que Tokio se adhiera al tratado de la ONU para la prohibición de las armas nucleares firmado en 2017.

Tokio se ha negado a suscribirlo, al alegar que su objetivo no es viable sin la ayuda de los estados que poseen armas atómicas.

El sábado, Nagasaki también espera un número récord de países en sus propias conmemoraciones, entre ellos Rusia, que asistirá por primera vez desde su invasión a Ucrania en 2022.

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Este año «queremos que los participantes vengan y vean con sus propios ojos la realidad de la catástrofe que puede provocar un arma nuclear», declaró a la AFP un responsable de esa ciudad.

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6 criminal aliens nabbed in Houston ICE raids boast startling number of convictions

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A group of six criminal illegal aliens have been arrested by ICE in Houston after having collectively illegally entered the country a staggering 42 times. 

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The six criminal aliens were finally arrested by ICE in the final days of July after two decades’ worth of illegal reentries and after racking up an equally astounding 48 criminal convictions, according to a statement released on Tuesday. 

Criminal convictions among the group include cocaine trafficking, grand theft auto, assault, domestic violence and multiple DWIs. One of the illegals is a documented member of a cartel-connected gang. 

According to ICE, one illegal, Oscar Moran Valle, a 43-year-old Mexican national and documented Paisas gang member, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times. He has been convicted of 11 criminal offenses, including three convictions for illegal entry, two for DWI, and one each for drug possession, larceny, giving a false ID to law enforcement, illegal reentry and driving without a license. He was arrested by ICE on July 29.

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ICE LODGES DETAINER AGAINST ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, SEXUALLY ASSAULTING NEIGHBOR IN TEXAS

Left to right (top): Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, Thanh Van Nguyen, Oscar Moran Valle. Left to right (bottom): Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo and Angel Bonilla Barahona. (ICE; iStock)

Another, Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, a 46-year-old from Honduras, illegally entered the U.S. five times. Reyes-Chavez has been convicted of seven criminal offenses, including two convictions for burglary and heroin possession, as well as convictions for grand theft auto and cocaine trafficking. He was arrested by ICE on July 30.

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Another Honduran national, Angel Bonilla Barahona, 38, was arrested by ICE after illegally entering the U.S. seven times and being convicted of seven criminal offenses, including three convictions for assault as well as convictions for resisting arrest, criminal mischief and flight to avoid arrest.

Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, a 38-year-old criminal alien from Honduras, arrested by ICE July 30. He illegally entered the U.S. five times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including three convictions for burglary, two for cocaine possession, and one each for larceny, domestic violence and illegal reentry.

Thanh Van Nguyen, a 53-year-old from Vietnam, illegally entered the U.S. and has criminal convictions for burglary, larceny, assault and obstructing police and damaging private property. 

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DHS SCOOPS UP TRANS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH HEINOUS CRIME ON CHILD IN SANCTUARY CITY: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’

ICE officers with suspects being arrested

ICE made 422 arrests earlier this year in an operation in Houston spanning just one week. (Fox News)

The last of the six, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo, a 40-year-old from Mexico, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including four convictions for DWI, two for illegal entry, and one for fleeing from a police officer.

ICE said the six were arrested by multiagency targeting teams established under the Trump administration to target the «worst of the worst» criminal illegal aliens for removal. 

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Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.»

VENEZUELAN SUSPECT ‘SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES,’ POLICE CHIEF SAYS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING

Trump, left; ICE jacket, right

Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the Trump administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.» (Trump-Vance Transition Team; ICE)

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«For the past 20 years, these six violent criminal aliens have brazenly violated our nation’s immigration and criminal laws, wreaking havoc in our local communities and leaving countless victims in their wake,» said Martinez. «Thanks to the current administration’s focus on securing the border and making immigration enforcement a priority, they have been removed from the local community.»

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Brother of Israeli hostage urges UN to act after video shows Hamas starving and torturing captives

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Ilay David, the brother of 22-year-old hostage Evyatar David, delivered an emotional plea to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, calling for urgent international action after a horrific new video showed his emaciated brother being forced to dig his own grave inside a Hamas tunnel.

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The Security Council session was requested by Israel and comes as the country stands on the verge of a full annexation of Gaza — a move prompted by the collapse of ceasefire talks and the release of disturbing images of starving hostages.

Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2024. In the newly received footage, he appears frail — reduced to just 90 pounds — and is seen struggling to speak.

NETANYAHU RESPONDS AFTER ISRAELI HOSTAGE SEEN EMACIATED, DIGGING GRAVE: ‘CRUELTY OF HAMAS HAS NO BOUNDARIES’

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Members of the United Nations Security Council listen as Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, and holds up a photo of his brother in captivity as he speaks during a meeting called by Israel.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Holding up a still from the video, Ilay David described a haunting visual: «As my younger brother, a living skeleton, was forced to speak and dig his grave, the chubby and well-fed hand of a Hamas terrorist entered the frame. Suddenly, Hamas confirmed what we have known for months — the terrorists have plenty of food. The only ones starving in Hamas’ tunnels are the hostages: my brother, Guy, and the [49] others.»

«My mother and I could not bring ourselves to watch it,» he said, speaking remotely via Zoom, «But my father and sister did. And now the images haunt them.»

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Citing testimony from former hostages — including Tal Shoham, whose account was first published by Fox News Digital — David said the terrorists remain in nearby rooms while deliberately starving captives as part of a «sick and twisted propaganda campaign.»

«This is a humanitarian crisis — the crisis of the hostages — that is not being discussed here,» he said. «Not in the Security Council, and not in other U.N. forums. The very soul of humanity is being scarred by Hamas’s barbaric actions.»

Protesters rallied near the United Nations, demanding immediate medical care and the release of hostages held by Hamas. 

Protesters rallied near the United Nations, demanding immediate medical care and the release of hostages held by Hamas.  (Yoav Ginsburg/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

TRUMP: HAMAS SURRENDER, HOSTAGE RELEASE IS ‘FASTEST WAY’ TO END GAZA WAR

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The meeting of the U.N. Security Council was convened following the release of the latest hostage video. Israel believes that as few as 20 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity — many in critical condition, with only days left to live.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who attended the session in New York, emphasized ahead of the meeting that while Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas is deliberately starving the hostages. 

«Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave. This is satanic,» he said. «These are evil crimes — like those committed by the Nazis and ISIS.»

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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Sa’ar also warned that recent moves by several nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state have emboldened Hamas and undermined negotiations. 

«They gave Hamas free gifts and an incentive to continue this war,» he said. «They directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire. These countries prolonged the war.»

Ilay David ended his address with a desperate appeal: «We, the family of Evyatar, refuse to give up hope. We are weeping, we are suffering, but we are also fighting with every fiber of our being. We will not give up until we see him back home — until my mother and father can hug him again.»

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«To the leaders of the world, to every member of this Council, and to the global community: Your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity. I urge you — do not let them die. Act now, before it’s too late. Save Evyatar David. Bring my little brother home.»

When asked by reporters at the White House on Tuesday if he had seen the Hamas video of Evyatar David, President Donald Trump said he had, calling it «horrible.»

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