On Thursday, former Biden White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients was finally grilled by the House Oversight Committee in their investigation of Joe Biden's cognitive decline and the autopen scandal.
In some ways, he may have been more forthcoming than any of the other former Biden officials when it comes to the question of Joe Biden's cognitive decline. Most of the others seemed to plead some form of ignorance, although former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there was an increasing problem with his speech - she didn't manage to explain why that would be.
According to people familiar with the interview, Zients said that Biden had issues.
What once took three meetings now took four. Biden had trouble remembering dates and names. There was also talk about changing his schedule to accommodate his age.
Zients said that Jill Biden spoke with him in 2023 about adjusting Biden's schedule, so he could get more rest and return to the White House residence area earlier in the evening.
Longtime Biden aide and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini also talked with Zients about limiting Biden's schedule and shortening distances and stairs he had to walk, according to Zients.
NEW: Biden’s former chief of staff, Jeff Zients, told the GOP-led House Oversight Committee that decisions that once required three meetings eventually required a fourth.
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 19, 2025
“Mr. Zients admitted that President Biden's speech stumbles increased as he aged. He also noted that the… pic.twitter.com/wwlaBY3aic
Regarding the infamous 2024 presidential debate with the mental freezes, Zients thought it was partly because he had a cold. But he also said Biden had had colds before and he hadn't seen that kind of reaction.
Zients claimed the “mental freezes” that aides observed were unprecedented, the source related.
Ex-senior White House communications adviser Anita Dunn and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan apparently stressed the importance of a cognitive exam, while former cabinet officials such as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and VA Secretary Denis McDonough, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, didn’t think Biden had the juice for a second term.
Zients said after the debate, he suggested to Biden's doctor, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, that Biden take a cognitive exam. O'Connor invoked the Fifth when it came to his interview. Biden, as far as we now, never took such an exam - at least not that they told us.
Perhaps some of the most concerning testimony involved the pardons. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) explained that Zients was one of the key people involved with the autopen.
Zients also confirmed that Biden had an aide with access to his email account send the authorization on his behalf for some of the most controversial pardons in recent history.
Comer said Zients even revealed that Hunter Biden was involved in meetings about the pardon process at the end of Biden's term.
🚨Joe Biden's Chief Jeff Zients ADMITTED to Congress:
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) September 19, 2025
Jill Biden spoke with him about ensuring Joe Biden got more rest.
Following the disastrous debate, he recommended that President Biden undergo a cognitive test.
Hunter Biden was involved in pardon meetings. @seanhannity pic.twitter.com/fC4QDoAKOH
Comer expressed concern, given some of the people pardoned. I guess my question would be: Which pardons? And why would Hunter have any role at all? He supposedly sat in on pardon meetings. Was he involved in any way with the pardons for himself or the Biden family members? Zients said that he, Zients, didn't sit in on the final meeting that dealt with the most controversial pardons to Biden's family.
Zients was the last person the Oversight Committee is scheduled to interview. Comer would not say if they are going to interview anyone else, such as members of the Biden family. He said that he thought they have enough information to make recommendations to the president and issue a report.
However, they should bring in some of the other people, including Hunter, to answer the question of what he had to do with the process. And they need to expose people's actions in the report and hold them accountable for their actions.
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