Steve Ricchetti appears for Biden autopen testimony at House Oversight
Steve Ricchetti,a longtime close aide to president Joe Biden and former deputy chief of staff,testified behind closed doors before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Biden’s use of an autopen to sign official documents in 2024. Ricchetti has been part of Biden’s inner circle as 2012 and is believed to have insight into the president’s health and mental capacity during the period when the autopen was used to sign numerous executive actions,including pardons. Although autopen use is not unusual, the committee is probing whether Biden was mentally aware enough to authorize its deployment.
Ricchetti’s testimony is significant as he is the first member of Biden’s so-called “Politburo” to appear this week, with other top advisors expected to follow. Past witnesses, including Biden’s aides and physician, have largely invoked the Fifth Amendment. The committee aims to uncover the extent of Biden’s involvement and decision-making in the autopen use amid allegations of a cover-up regarding the president’s health.
In addition to this investigation, the House Oversight Committee is pursuing subpoenas related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case, underscoring a busy agenda as members return from recess. Transcripts from the autopen-related closed-door interviews are expected to be released after all testimonies conclude.
Steve Ricchetti, Biden ‘Politburo’ member, appears for House Oversight autopen interview
Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff to President Joe Biden, testified behind closed doors Wednesday in the latest interview for the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the former president’s inner circle and his use of the autopen.
Ricchetti, who served closely under Biden since 2012 during the Obama administration and previously served in the Clinton administration, entered the Rayburn House office building at 9:41 a.m. and headed into the hearing room. He did not take questions from reporters.
Ricchetti’s appearance is notable as he’s been in Biden’s inner circle and would presumably know about the president’s health and mental acuity in 2024 when his autopen signature was used to sign a wave of executive actions while the president was in Washington D.C., including pardons. While the use of an autopen is not uncommon for a president, the committee is investigating whether he had the mental awareness to authorize it.
BIDEN AUTOPEN USE IN DC WAS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN
Biden had said he made “every” final decision in an interview with the New York Times, but emails revealed he did not closely review every clemency case and delegated his aides to handle the process.
“The cover up isn’t holding,” House Oversight Committee GOP posted ahead of the hearing.
Ricchetti worked in the office of the vice president under the Obama administration, chairman of the Biden campaign, and was a top aide to the former president during his single term. Ricchetti also worked as a lobbyist.
Ricchetti was not the only member of his family to serve in the Biden administration. His son, Daniel Ricchetti, served as a senior advisor at the State Department and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before that. His daughter, Shannon Ricchetti, was a deputy associate director of the Office of the Social Secretary at the White House. And his son, J.J. Ricchetti, served in the Treasury Department as Special Assistant in the Office of Legislative Affairs after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.
He is the first member of the so-called “Politburo” to testify this week to the Oversight Committee, with another member of Biden’s inner circle, Mike Donilon, set to appear for an interview on Thursday. Ricchetti, Donilon, and policy wonk Bruce Reed were Biden’s closest advisors and essentially ran the White House, according to the authors of the book Original Sin on the alleged cover-up of Biden’s health decline.
Previously, two former Biden aides, Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini, and his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, took the Fifth Amendment when they appeared for their deposition in recent weeks after being subpoenaed by the committee. Three former aides—Neera Tanden, Ashley Williams, and Ron Klain—have participated in the transcribed interviews, but those transcripts have not yet been made public.
President Donald Trump waived executive privilege last month for all of the former aides in the investigation. Executive privilege allows the witness to withhold information from Congress to protect the integrity of the executive branch.
Transcribed interviews are typically conducted by the majority and minority committee staff over several hours. The slated interviews are set to take place through September.
HOUSE MEMBERS FACE EPSTEIN HEAT AS THEY RETURN HOME FOR AUGUST RECESS
Along with the Biden investigation, the committee has been busy, as three motions have passed to issue subpoenas to get more information involving the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The committee already subpoenaed Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, for her deposition set to take place on Aug. 11, in Florida, though the inmate has a list of conditions before her scheduled prison interview.
The transcripts from the closed-door interviews are slated to be made public once all the interviews have concluded, but footage of those who invoked their Fifth Amendment Rights was released the evening after they concluded.
Mackenzie Thomas contributed to this report.
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