Mike Donilon, former senior adviser to Joe Biden, appeared for a closed-door interview Thursday morning for the House Oversight Committee’s sprawling investigation into the former president’s inner circle and use of the autopen.
Donilon, who has worked with Biden since 1981, entered the Rayburn House Office room at 10:05 a.m. He did not respond to questions from reporters.
The longtime Biden aide is the latest member of the former president’s team to testify in front of the committee, and the second from the so-called “Politburo” group that made up his closest advisers. Former deputy chief of staff Steve Ricchetti, who testified Wednesday, was the first.
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Like Ricchetti, the committee is hoping that as a close adviser, Donilon will be able to shed light on Biden’s mental acuity during his time in the Oval Office, particularly in 2024, when his autopen signature was used to sign a wave of executive actions and pardons.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Donilon on June 4 requesting his testimony, writing that the committee believes the aide has information “critical” to the investigation.
“If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response,” Comer’s letter to Donilon reads.
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Multiple presidents have been known to utilize an autopen during their time in the White House, usually to sign presidential letters and messages. However, the tool was used during Biden’s waning hours in office to sign a series of pardons and clemency actions, which have been met with skepticism during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump’s White House counsel launched its own investigation earlier this month into the Biden administration’s use of the autopen, in conjunction with the Justice Department.
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Donilon is the eighth former Biden official whom the Oversight Committee has interviewed as part of its inquiry. The committee has also scheduled interviews with former deputy chief of staff for policy Bruce Reed on Tuesday, and former senior adviser to the president for communications Anita Dunn on Aug. 7.
More former Biden officials are expected to testify over the coming weeks, with interviews for press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, former Biden communication aides Ian Sams and Andrew Bates, and former chief of staff Jeff Zients, scheduled for August and September.