Former White House spokesman Andrew Bates is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of a “cover-up” by former President Joe Biden’s inner circle. The probe, led by Committee Chair James Comer, is focusing on whether senior aides obscured signs of mental decline in Biden and whether executive decisions were made without his full awareness. This marks the 11th former Biden official to testify and the ninth to do so voluntarily.
Bates, who served as a core member of Biden’s communications team for nearly four years, expressed pride in supporting Biden’s leadership and criticized the Trump administration’s policies. The investigation is particularly scrutinizing the clemency orders Biden signed in his later years. Democrats have criticized the probe as an unnecessary look backward, while Republicans accuse Democrats of failing to ask meaningful questions during the hearings.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has been investigating whether Biden’s senior aides covered up signs of mental decline in the former president and whether any executive decisions were signed off on via autopen without the then-leader’s full awareness. The probe has already led to the testimony of three former Biden aides, including Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, and ex-White House physician Kevin O’Connor, who were compelled to appear via congressional subpoena. Comer has accused Democrats of trivializing the investigation, pointing to the shallow questioning of previous witnesses like Ian Sams.
Democrats, by contrast, have painted the investigation as an unnecessary look backward. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, said ahead of Bates’ interview on Thursday,