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Third Biden Aide Pleads Fifth in Oversight Committee Probe

Annie Tomasini’s refusal to answer questions deepens Republican allegations of a coordinated cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized autopen use.

Jun 12, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY), left, waits for Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during a hearing on state immigration enforcement policy in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
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Joe Biden

Overview

  • Annie Tomasini invoked her Fifth Amendment right during a closed-door House Oversight Committee deposition, declining to answer questions about Biden’s fitness and use of a presidential autopen.
  • She became the third former Biden official to plead the Fifth in the inquiry, following physician Kevin O’Connor and Jill Biden aide Anthony Bernal.
  • Oversight Chair James Comer said the repeated invocation of constitutional protections points to efforts to hide details of Biden’s mental and physical health and potential autopen misuse.
  • The White House and Democratic lawmakers countered that invoking the Fifth does not imply guilt and reaffirmed that President Biden personally approved all key decisions, including autopen-signed clemency orders.
  • The committee has scheduled depositions of Ian Sams, Andrew Bates, Karine Jean-Pierre and Jeff Zients through September as it broadens its investigation.