Ex-loyal Biden advisor downplays significant impact of debate clash with Trump during private House questioning
In a significant development, Andrew Bates, the former deputy press secretary for President Joe Biden, met with the House Oversight Committee for a closed-door interview regarding the ongoing Biden cover-up probe.
The interview, which lasted over five hours, saw Bates addressing a series of concerns surrounding the former president's actions and decisions. Bates told investigators that Biden conducted himself honorably regarding any actions benefiting his son's business dealings. He also agreed with Biden's decision to drop out of the re-election bid after viewing polling data.
Bates dismissed concerns about Biden's age as a "polling problem" and defended Biden's fitness for office while criticizing Trump's actions as president during his opening statement. He also dismissed the fallout from Biden's disastrous June 2024 debate performance.
However, Bates allegedly supported the pardon granted to Hunter Biden, a matter of interest to the House Oversight Committee. The committee is also looking into whether executive actions signed by autopen were executed with Biden's full awareness and approval.
The pardon and the hundreds of other clemency orders signed by Biden are under scrutiny, with the committee investigating whether Biden's top White House allies covered up signs of mental decline in the former president.
Elizabeth Elkind, a politics reporter leading coverage of the House of Representatives for our website Digital, is spearheading the coverage of this developing story.
In a surprising turn of events, it was reported that Bates' opening statement was leaked to the media before he read it in the room, according to a House Oversight Committee spokesperson.
The investigation comes at a critical time, with former Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre scheduled for an interview with the House Oversight Committee on Sept. 12. The press secretary and the communications director were the default representatives of the press and communications team for daily meetings with the president, according to a former Biden White House staffer.
Bates described relatively infrequent interactions with Biden, with the former president only meeting with his press team a few times in a year, according to Bates. It is worth noting that Bates had no public role in the recent autopen actions during Biden's last term.
This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for further updates on this intriguing investigation.
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