A bombshell is rocking Washington this week after Anthony Bernal, the longtime aide to Jill Biden, invoked the Fifth Amendment in a closed-door session of the House Oversight Committee—raising serious questions about who was really running the White House during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Bernal, known among staffers as Jill Biden’s “work husband,” served as the former First Lady’s chief of staff and held immense behind-the-scenes influence during Biden’s term. On Wednesday, he refused to answer direct questions from the committee regarding allegations of a coordinated effort to conceal the former president’s mental decline.
Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) confirmed the explosive development, saying Bernal had declined to answer whether Joe Biden ever instructed him to lie about the president’s health—or if unelected family members or staff ever carried out presidential duties on Biden’s behalf.
“Anthony Bernal just invoked the Fifth Amendment,” Comer wrote on X. “This week new reporting confirms President Biden’s aides took unauthorized executive actions during his presidency amid his cognitive decline.”
Comer didn’t mince words: “This is a historic scandal and Americans demand transparency and accountability.”
The plea of silence comes just weeks after Bernal was subpoenaed in connection with ongoing investigations into Biden’s mental fitness and decision-making capacity during his final months in office. At the center of the probe is whether staff—particularly members of Biden’s family and inner circle—were effectively running the country while shielding the president’s deteriorating condition from the public.
The scandal was further inflamed by an undercover Project Veritas video in which former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg accused Bernal of “wielding unchecked power in the White House,” suggesting he played a central role in shielding the president from scrutiny.
Adding fuel to the fire, reports suggest aides repeatedly took “unauthorized executive actions,” bypassing proper legal channels and raising serious constitutional red flags.
Bernal had originally been scheduled to testify Thursday. However, in an unexpected reversal, he pulled out after the Trump White House counsel’s office informed another former official, Neera Tanden, that she would not be granted executive privilege to withhold testimony. Bernal subsequently invoked the Fifth on key questions, signaling he may have legal exposure.
The idea that unelected aides or family members may have taken control over executive functions due to Biden’s alleged incapacity is now becoming the focal point of the Oversight Committee’s investigation. If proven, it would represent an unprecedented breach of democratic governance—essentially a shadow presidency without constitutional authority.
In past months, whispers about Biden’s declining cognitive health had grown louder, especially as reporters noted his increasing absences from public events, gaffes, and heavy reliance on aides. But Bernal’s silence before Congress is the clearest sign yet that insiders may have more to hide than previously thought.
Critics say the Fifth Amendment is a shield against self-incrimination—but in this case, it may be a spotlight. As Comer and House Republicans escalate their probe, the spotlight will now shine brighter on who knew what—and when—about the president’s health, and whether the American people were systematically misled during one of the most consequential periods in modern history.
This isn’t just about Biden’s health anymore. It’s about who actually held the reins of power—and whether the public was kept in the dark about a quiet, unconstitutional transfer of authority behind closed doors.