Ian Sams became the latest former Biden aide to answer questions in the House probe into former President Biden’s mental decline while in office, and Rep. James Comer said despite Mr. Sams’ many public statements defending Mr. Biden’s condition, he only met with the president twice.
Mr. Comer, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said after the interview Thursday it was obvious that Mr. Sams had been simply parroting what his superiors at the White House told him to say.
The Kentucky Republican said Mr. Sams admitted to having limited interactions with Mr. Biden, saying he only had two in-person meetings, one virtual meeting and one phone call in more than two years.
“Rather than drawing conclusions from firsthand experience, Mr. Sams received much of his direction from the White House Counsel and Biden’s inner circle,” Mr. Comer said in a statement. “Mr. Sams repeatedly made broad public claims about the president’s cognitive condition, but he was not in a position to make these claims based on such limited contact.”
Mr. Comer said, “I think it contradicts everything that the former Biden people are saying with respect to the president’s mental fitness. There were very few people that were around Joe Biden, especially at the end. And that’s when the majority of the pardons and executive orders were signed with that autopen.”
“Mr. Sams’ testimony raises serious questions about who [was] truly calling the shots in the White House. We will continue to press for answers to ensure full transparency for the American people,” he said.
Mr. Sams was the 11th former Biden staffer to appear before committee investigators as part of the probe into Mr. Biden’s mental decline while president and the use of the autopen to sign official documents. He appeared voluntarily for a transcribed interview before committee investigators.
He served as special assistant to the president and senior adviser in the White House Counsel’s Office. He also served as senior spokesperson and senior adviser for the Harris campaign.
Several former Biden aides have been summoned to answer questions for the House investigators, some appearing voluntarily and others receiving subpoenas, like former White House physician Kevin O’Connor; Anthony Bernal, former first lady Jill Biden’s chief of staff; and Annie Tomasini, a longtime Biden aide.
All who appeared under subpoena invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Others who appeared voluntarily defended Mr. Biden, saying he was fit to serve as president throughout his four years.
Anita Dunn, a longtime Biden aide who appeared earlier this month, said his “authority and involvement in decision making was clear,” and he was “engaged on the substance.”
“While I observed that President Biden aged physically during his time in office, which is something that happens to every president, he remained throughout my interactions with him fully engaged and clear in his directions and supervision,” she said in her opening statement. “His ability to probe, to find the weakness in an argument, and to make well-informed decisions, did not change during my time in the White House.”
Steve Ricchetti, former counselor to the president, appeared before the committee investigators late last month and said, “There was no nefarious conspiracy of any kind among the president’s senior staff, and there was certainly no conspiracy to hide the president’s mental condition from the American people.”
