WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday subpoenaed Joe Biden’s former deputy chief of staff to answer questions about the 46th president’s cognitive decline — and possible abuse of the presidential autopen to approve executive orders and pardons.
Annie Tomasini, a longtime aide to Biden who got her career start serving as his press secretary when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Delaware’s senior senator, will now be deposed Friday after her lawyer requested the official document compelling her appearance.
“With no forewarning, on July 14, your counsel requested a subpoena to compel your appearance on July 18,” the subpoena’s cover letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to attorney Jonathan Su stated.
It will make her the fifth member of Biden’s inner circle to come before the committee — and the third after refusing to do so voluntarily.
The retired president was forced out of his 2024 re-election bid by party bosses after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June of that year, with insiders enraged at Biden’s apparent lack of mental acuity in answering key questions about his record.
Anthony Bernal, the ex-president’s current chief of staff and Jill Biden’s “work husband,” will testify Wednesday after also being served a subpoena. Bernal is also being represented by Su.
Biden’s presidential physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, pleaded the Fifth Amendment at his deposition last week and refused to answer questions, including: “Were you ever told to lie about the president’s health?” and “Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duties?”
Tomasini’s deposition is part of the GOP-led investigation to uncover who shielded the former president from scrutiny about his failing mental acuity — as well as who wielded the now-infamous autopen, a device apparently used to sign off on dozens of executive orders, pardons and sentence commutations.
Biden insisted in an interview with the New York Times last week that “I made every decision” about clemency warrants issued during his time in office. The former POTUS then admitted that he had his staff replicate his signature with the autopen because “we’re talking about a lot of people.”
With his consent, Biden’s team ran the autopen on 25 pardon and commutation warrants from last December through January, granting clemency to thousands of people.
First family members were also shielded from future prosecution in last-minute pardons on Jan. 19, approved by then-White House chief of staff Jeff Zients.
Former staff secretary Stefanie Feldman put the official documents through the autopen after receiving similar “blurbs” or written accounts confirming that Biden gave executive authority to use the device, The Times reported.
Because Bernal and Tomasini refused to be interviewed voluntarily, both will only have two options for each question put to them by the committee: provide an answer, or plead the Fifth.
Tomasini had previously consented to come before the committee for a transcribed interview, but reneged on her agreement Monday.
“On June 6, your counsel confirmed your voluntary appearance on July 18,” Comer’s letter to her attorney noted.
Su did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
