Biden aide Mike Donilon appears for House Oversigh autopen inquiry
Mike Donilon, a longtime senior adviser to former President Joe Biden, appeared for a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Commitee as part of their extensive inquiry into Biden’s close circle and the use of an autopen device to sign documents. donilon, who has worked with Biden since 1981, is the latest high-ranking Biden aide to testify, following former deputy chief of staff Steve ricchetti. The committee aims to gather details about Biden’s mental capacity during his presidency,especially in 2024 when the autopen was used to sign multiple executive actions and pardons. Committee Chairman James Comer emphasized the importance of Donilon’s testimony in understanding whether White House staff concealed the president’s condition or took measures to perform his duties on his behalf. The investigation coincides with a separate inquiry launched by former President Donald Trump’s White house counsel and the Justice Department into the Biden management’s autopen use. Several other former Biden officials are expected to testify in the coming weeks.
Longtime Biden aide Mike Donilon appears for House Oversight Committee autopen inquiry
Mike Donilon, former senior adviser to Joe Biden, appeared for a closed-door interview Thursday morning for the House Oversight Committee’s sprawling investigation into the former president’s inner circle and use of the autopen.
Donilon, who has worked with Biden since 1981, entered the Rayburn House Office room at 10:05 a.m. He did not respond to questions from reporters.
The longtime Biden aide is the latest member of the former president’s team to testify in front of the committee, and the second from the so-called “Politburo” group that made up his closest advisers. Former deputy chief of staff Steve Ricchetti, who testified Wednesday, was the first.
BIDEN AUTOPEN USE: WHAT TO KNOW AS TRUMP ORDERS AN INVESTIGATION INTO HIS PREDECESSOR
Like Ricchetti, the committee is hoping that as a close adviser, Donilon will be able to shed light on Biden’s mental acuity during his time in the Oval Office, particularly in 2024, when his autopen signature was used to sign a wave of executive actions and pardons.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Donilon on June 4 requesting his testimony, writing that the committee believes the aide has information “critical” to the investigation.
“If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response,” Comer’s letter to Donilon reads.
THE LONG HISTORY AND CONTROVERSY OF PRESIDENTIAL AUTOPEN USE
Multiple presidents have been known to utilize an autopen during their time in the White House, usually to sign presidential letters and messages. However, the tool was used during Biden’s waning hours in office to sign a series of pardons and clemency actions, which have been met with skepticism during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump’s White House counsel launched its own investigation earlier this month into the Biden administration’s use of the autopen, in conjunction with the Justice Department.
BIDEN AUTOPEN USE IN DC WAS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN
Donilon is the eighth former Biden official whom the Oversight Committee has interviewed as part of its inquiry. The committee has also scheduled interviews with former deputy chief of staff for policy Bruce Reed on Tuesday, and former senior adviser to the president for communications Anita Dunn on Aug. 7.
More former Biden officials are expected to testify over the coming weeks, with interviews for press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, former Biden communication aides Ian Sams and Andrew Bates, and former chief of staff Jeff Zients, scheduled for August and September.
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