Jill Biden aide invokes Fifth to decline testimony in Republican investigation [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 1:43 PM EDT, July 16, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former senior aide to Jill Biden on Wednesday became the second person to invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer questions from House Republicans who are investigating President Joe Biden’s mental state and use of the autopen while in office.
Anthony Bernal, who previously served as chief of staff to former first lady Jill Biden, was subpoenaed for his testimony by the House Oversight Committee. He declined to answer questions, invoking the protections that prevent people from being forced to testify against themselves in government proceedings.
“Well, unfortunately, that was quick,” said Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, after the deposition ended. “I believe the American people are concerned. They’re concerned that there were people making decisions in the White House that were not only unelected but no one to this day knows who they were.”
Bernal ignored questions from reporters as he entered and exited the House Oversight Committee’s hearing room on Capitol Hill. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Jonathan Su, who was a deputy White House counsel to the former president. Su in a statement provided to the committee noted that pleading the Fifth is not evidence of wrongdoing.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-autopen-investigation-anthony-bernal-trump-77aaa5ae0e4c73f0e432bf1c81558bea
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