{"id":2488346,"date":"2025-09-18T19:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-chief-of-staff-gave-most-damning-testimony-yet-in-autopen-probe\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T19:09:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:09:11","slug":"bidens-chief-of-staff-gave-most-damning-testimony-yet-in-autopen-probe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-chief-of-staff-gave-most-damning-testimony-yet-in-autopen-probe\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s chief of staff gave most damning testimony yet in autopen probe"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbidens-chief-of-staff-gave-most-damning-testimony-yet-in-autopen-probe%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2488346&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports on testimony from Jeff Zients, former Chief of Staff to President Joe Biden, which is described as the most revealing so far in a house Oversight Committee inquiry.The probe focuses on the alleged misuse of the autopen (a device used to sign documents on behalf of the president) and internal efforts to conceal BidenS cognitive decline during his presidency. In a private interview, Zients confirmed that Biden&#8217;s decision-making slowed significantly in his final months in office, with increased need for lengthy meetings and worsening speech and memory issues.<\/p>\n<p>Zients&#8217;s statements contradict public assurances from the White House during the 2024 campaign, which maintained that Biden was sharp and fully capable. He also revealed discussions with Biden&#8217;s aides and First Lady Jill biden about adjusting the president&#8217;s schedule to reduce stress and accommodate his health. Zients indicated that some aides, who later invoked their right not to testify, tailored Biden&#8217;s appearances to minimize strain.<\/p>\n<p>The testimony touches on concerns raised after Biden&#8217;s poor performance in the June 2024 debate, including a proposal from Zients for a full medical and cognitive evaluation, which was only partially considered. Despite initially downplaying the debate as a one-time issue, zients admitted the performance was unlike any he had seen and suggested that Biden should have withdrawn from the race. Other top officials shared similar private concerns about Biden&#8217;s fitness.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Zients confirmed Hunter Biden participated in internal discussions about presidential pardons, receiving one of the broadest pardons granted in Biden&#8217;s term.<\/p>\n<p>The Oversight Committee is investigating whether documents,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-brings-life-back-to-the-white-house\/\" title=\"Trump Brings Life Back To The ...\">including executive orders<\/a> and pardons,where signed with Biden&#8217;s name via autopen without his full consent. While legally permissible, Republicans question whether Biden authorized all such uses.<\/p>\n<p>Zients is the last of 14 former aides interviewed, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-bias-or-cheney-2024-j6-staffers-liz-cheney-trade-blows-over-final-committee-report\/\" title=\"\u2018Liberal Bias\u2019 Or \u2018Cheney 2024\u2019? J6 ...ers, Liz Cheney Trade Blows Over Final ... Report\">final committee report<\/a> is anticipated soon. Committee Chairman James Comer suggested these testimonies provide significant insights into decision-making in the final months of Biden&#8217;s presidency and the autopen&#8217;s unauthorized use. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Biden&rsquo;s chief of staff gave most damning testimony yet in autopen probe<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2234272\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a>&rsquo;s ex-chief of staff&nbsp;Jeff Zients&nbsp;delivered the most revealing testimony to date in the House&nbsp;Oversight Committee&rsquo;s investigation into the alleged misuse of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/autopen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">autopen<\/a>&nbsp;and internal efforts to conceal the then-president&rsquo;s cognitive decline, according to a source familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n<p>Zients, who appeared for a closed-door transcribed interview on Thursday, confirmed for the first time that Biden&rsquo;s &ldquo;decision-making slowed&rdquo; during the final stretch of his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/presidency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">presidency<\/a>. He said meetings that once required three sessions began to require a fourth, and acknowledged that Biden&rsquo;s speech stumbles and memory lapses worsened with age &mdash; including during his time in office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3813577\/trump-appointed-judge-blocks-removal-guatemalan-kids-from-us\/\">Trump-appointed judge blocks removal of unaccompanied Guatemalan children from US<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3812667\/biden-fbi-targeted-92-conservative-groups-arctic-frost-charlie-kirk-turning-point\/\">Biden-era FBI targeted 92 conservative groups and figures, including Charlie Kirk&rsquo;s Turning Point<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3813040\/judge-order-mahmoud-khalil-deported-algeria-syria\/\">Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deported to Algeria or Syria<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">White House chief of staff Jeff Zients arrives for an event on artificial intelligence systems during an event on Oct. 30, 2023, in the East Room of the White House in Washington (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The testimony, described by a source briefed on the interview, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >contradicts repeated public claims made<\/a> by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">White House<\/a>&nbsp;during the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 campaign<\/a>. At the time, officials insisted Biden was &ldquo;sharp,&rdquo; &ldquo;engaged,&rdquo; and &ldquo;fully capable&rdquo; of performing his duties, even after widespread concern about his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-debate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">debate performance<\/a>&nbsp;against then-candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Zients also testified that he and&nbsp;then-first lady <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jill-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jill Biden<\/a>&nbsp;discussed adjusting the president&rsquo;s schedule to allow more time for rest, family, and early returns to the residence.<\/p>\n<p>He admitted speaking with former aides who later&nbsp;pleaded the Fifth&nbsp;during the Oversight probe &mdash; including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3474158\/annie-tomasini-house-oversight-deposition-biden-autopen-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Annie Tomasini<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3472329\/biden-aide-anthony-bernal-deposition-house-oversight-committee-autopen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthony Bernal<\/a>, and White House physician&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3466250\/biden-physician-dr-kevin-oconnor-house-oversight-committee-deposition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Kevin O&rsquo;Connor<\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; about tailoring Biden&rsquo;s appearances to reduce stress and avoid long walks or stairs.<\/p>\n<p>He said&nbsp;Anita Dunn, Biden&rsquo;s top adviser at the time, who admitted last month that the Robert <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3493221\/anita-dunn-arrives-house-testimony-biden-mental-decline-probe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hur special counsel report prompted the ex-president to skip the Super Bowl<\/a> pre-game interview, raised the possibility of a cognitive exam after the debate. Hur found that while there was evidence Biden &ldquo;willfully retained and disclosed classified materials,&rdquo; criminal charges would likely not result in a conviction in part due to Biden&rsquo;s &ldquo;poor memory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Zients also testified that he recommended a full medical workup to Dr. O&rsquo;Connor after Biden&rsquo;s disastrous June 27 presidential debate, implying it should include cognitive testing. O&rsquo;Connor responded that he would take the suggestion &ldquo;under advisement.&rdquo; On July 3, 2024, Zients was reportedly telling staffers the debate was just &ldquo;one night&hellip;. We all know is that he is a great president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the interview on Thursday, Zients maintained his belief that Biden&rsquo;s poor debate performance was due to a cold and losing his train of thought &mdash; but also told the Oversight Committee that he had &ldquo;never seen [Biden] like that before,&rdquo; and that the performance made him believe the president should exit the race.<\/p>\n<p>He added that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jake-sullivan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jake Sullivan<\/a>&nbsp;agreed, and that Cabinet officials, including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gina-raimondo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gina Raimondo<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/denis-mcdonough\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Denis McDonough<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antony-blinken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Antony Blinken<\/a>,&nbsp;expressed private concerns about Biden&rsquo;s viability.<\/p>\n<p>Zients also confirmed that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hunter Biden<\/a>&nbsp;participated in internal&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pardon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pardon<\/a>&nbsp;discussions late in the term, attending &ldquo;a few meetings,&rdquo; according to the source. It was not clear which meetings the former first son attended, though he was given one of the most sweeping pardons of any recipient, receiving a nearly 11-year unconditional pardon following his criminal cases for tax offenses and felony gun charges.<\/p>\n<p>Rep.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Comer<\/a>&nbsp;(R-KY), chairman of the Oversight Committee, had previewed Zients&rsquo;s interview as the most important in the panel&rsquo;s months-long probe, which centers on whether White House aides &ldquo;usurped authority&rdquo; from the president or carried out duties without his full consent.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We believe Zients is the guy that was potentially making a lot of decisions down the stretch,&rdquo; Comer told reporters. &ldquo;And had a lot of responsibility with respect to the unauthorized use of the autopen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The committee is investigating whether any documents, including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/executive-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">executive orders<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pardon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pardons<\/a>, were signed using Biden&rsquo;s name without his full awareness. While the use of the autopen is legally permitted, as reviewed in a&nbsp;2005 Justice Department memo, Republicans have raised concerns about whether Biden truly assented to using the autopen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3813395\/former-biden-chief-of-staff-arrives-for-house-oversight-autopen-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>FORMER BIDEN CHIEF OF STAFF ARRIVES FOR HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AUTOPEN INVESTIGATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Zients is the final witness among 14 former aides called by the committee. A final report is expected to be released in the weeks ahead now that all interviews with former aides have been completed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We believe we have a lot of information already from the witnesses who have answered questions,&rdquo; Comer said Thursday morning, without specifying when the report would be released. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been pretty forthcoming in their answers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biden&#8217;s ex-chief gave key testimony in autopen probe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2488347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP23350816186607_3f5e6a.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[59251,3620,51609,5894,8676],"class_list":["post-2488346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-autopen-probe","tag-biden","tag-chief-of-staff-2","tag-politics","tag-testimony"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP23350816186607_3f5e6a.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2488346"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2488350,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488346\/revisions\/2488350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2488347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2488346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2488346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2488346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}