Inside Joe Biden’s circle of ‘puppet masters’ being forced to dish on his presidency amid probe into cognitive decline cover-up

Several advisers to Joe Biden will be quizzed by Republicans on Capitol Hill this month as part of the GOP’s examination of a coverup of the former president’s mental health.

The witness list includes the most powerful figures in the Biden White House, such as aides with unfettered access to the residence where the president lived with Jill Biden, those who handled Biden’s daily schedule and others close with the first lady.

‘There were a lot of people behind him, like puppet masters,’ Lindy Li, a former member of the Democratic National Committee, told Fox News. 

Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer has summoned most of the Biden’s inner circle to the Capitol for a grilling, using his subpoena power on those who refused to come voluntarily.

And there could be more interviews to come. 

Comer sent letters to more aides last week, saying information was needed ‘as part of our aggressive investigation into the cover-up of [Biden’s] cognitive decline.’

Among the Biden aides who received them were press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, White House counsel office spokesperson Ian Sams, senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates and chief of staff Jeff Zients.

The Daily Mail breaks down the aides in Biden’s inner circle who are under the most scrutiny: 

President Joe Biden walks to the White House with senior members of his staff: Bruce Reed, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff; Mike Donilon, senior advisor; and Annie Tomasini, deputy chief of staff, in April 2024

President Joe Biden with Deputy White House Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Bruce Reed in April 2024

Dr. Kevin O’Connor on July 9

Dr. O’Connor is at the center of the coverup claims and was the first subpoenaed by House Republicans to answer questions about Biden’s declining health.

He was Biden’s personal physician, traveling with him and signing off on his yearly physicals, giving the then-president a clean bill of health. But O’Connor notably didn’t subject Biden to routine cognitive tests. 

Dr. Kevin O’Connor at the White House with President Joe Biden

O’Connor, a retired US Army colonel, began his White House service in 2006 under the George W Bush administration as part of the White House Medical Unit (WHMU). 

In 2009, O’Connor was named physician to then-Vice President Biden. He was named as Biden’s physician when he became president in 2021.

Questions about Biden’s cognitive state have been raised after the publication of ‘Original Sin,’ a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson that detailed an alleged cover-up among aides about the former president’s capabilities. 

Additionally, after Biden announced that he had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, further questions were raised about why it was not caught while he was in office.

O’Connor, after his yearly physicals of Biden, would release a letter describing his findings on Biden’s health, declaring him fit to serve as president – including in the months before his disastrous presidential debate with Donald Trump.

Ahead of the June 2024 debate – which was followed by Biden’s decision to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee – O’Connor signed off on Biden’s health, writing he ‘continues to be fit for duty.’

Ashley Williams on July 11

Williams was Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations and had daily contact with Biden. Her duties included overseeing the president’s personal schedule, private engagements, and day-to-day affairs. 

Ashley Williams helped run the Oval Office

She is a longtime Biden staffer, going back to his time as vice presidency. At that time, she worked for Jill Biden as her senior assistant, earning the trust of the then-second lady.

Williams worked on the 2020 campaign, was in the Biden White House during his term and stayed with Biden to work in his post-presidency office.

She, along with Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, ran Oval Office operations – no one was able to see President Biden without going through them first.

Williams, along with Tomasini and Jill Biden’s senior aide Anthony Bernal, were accused of forming a ‘protective bubble’ around President Biden.

‘Annie, Ashley and Anthony create a protective bubble around POTUS. He’s staffed so closely that he’s lost all independence. POTUS relies on staff to nudge him with reminders of who he’s meeting, including former staffers and advisers who Biden should easily remember without a reminder from Annie,’ a Biden aide told Axios.

Anthony Bernal on July 16

Bernal, the longtime Biden aide nicknamed Jill’s ‘work husband,’ was slapped with a subpoena by Republicans after he missed his June 26 appearance date before the Oversight Committee.

Chairman Comer demanded his presence on July 16.

Anthony Bernal with Jill Biden

Bernal has worked for the Bidens since Joe Biden served as vice president. 

In that time, he bonded with Jill Biden. The duo became close after splitting champagne and french fries on election night in 2008, Politico reported. 

He worked for the First Lady in the East Wing during her husband’s presidency, where his title of ‘advisor to the first lady’ did not reflect his outsized influence over the Bidens and White House operations.

‘No one spent more time, whether it was in the motorcade, on the plane, in the private residence at the White House, Camp David, and at both houses in Delaware, nobody spent more personal time around them and their family and the Biden family than Anthony,’ Democratic strategist and Jill Biden’s former press secretary Michael LaRosa previously told Fox News. 

During Biden’s administration, Bernal had walk-in privileges for the Oval Office and the residence, the upper floors of the White House where the Bidens lived. Very few aides have access to the residence, with those privileges typically reserved for only the most-trusted.

According to a 2021 Politico report, Bernal allegedly had a ‘mean streak,’ according to anonymous staffers and campaign aids who claimed he was ‘berating’ and ‘toxic.’ Though, they conceded his loyalty to Jill Biden is unmatched. 

Annie Tomasini, Director of Oval Office Operations, and Anthony Bernal, Advisor to the First Lady, were two of the most powerful aides in the Biden White House

Annie Tomasini on July 18

In the Biden White House, it was said Bernal ran the East Wing and Tomasini ran the West Wing.

President Joe Biden with Annie Tomasini, his  Director of Oval Office Operations

The two were the aides personally closest to the Bidens. 

During the 2020 campaign, when the Bidens campaigned from their Wilmington, Delaware, home at the height of the COVID pandemic, Tomasini and Bernal were the only staffers allowed inside.

Both are considered to be ‘family’ by the first couple and had unfettered access to them.

As deputy chief of staff, Tomasini ran Biden’s schedule and much of his life. She was always seen at the president’s side, whether it was at an event or riding next to him in the Beast.

She also worked for the former president when he was a senator and, later, the vice president during the Obama administration.  

Ron Klain on July 24 

Klain was Biden’s first chief of staff. His government service dates back to the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations and he had been in Biden’s orbit since the 1980s during the former president’s Senate days.

President Joe Biden praising his out-going Chief of Staff Ron Klain

He served as Biden’s chief when Biden was vice president and kicked off his presidency started, but Klain left the Biden White House after two years. 

Despite leaving government service, he had an up close view of Biden in the final years of his presidency.

He was among the aides who helped prepare Biden for the disastrous debate with Trump that resulted in Biden exiting the presidential race. 

Klain worked outside the White House at the time but ran ‘debate camp’ at Camp David and later said Biden looked tired during the prep sessions. 

Though, he clarified his remarks, later telling Politico that the then-president had been ‘isolated from domestic politics’ in order to be ‘solely focused on foreign affairs.’

Steve Ricchetti on July 30th 

Ricchetti has been a key person in Biden’s life since joining his vice-presidential staff in 2012.

Steve Ricchetti, counselor to President Joe Biden, walks across the South Lawn 

He was one of four aides with Biden as the then-president, sick with COVID, sat at his Rehoboth Beach house mulling wither to drop out of the 2024 presidential campaign. The others were Mike Donilon, Tomasini and Bernal.

And Ricchetti, along with Donilon, was accused of coddling the president, keeping his sinking poll numbers and Democratic concerns about his health away from him. 

Ricchetti also has deep ties to Capitol Hill and was the person Biden dispatched to the Capitol to help pass legislation and keep lawmakers in line.

He was also seen as a type of ‘mob boss.’ After George Clooney wrote an op-ed for The New York Times calling for Biden to exit the presidential race, Ricchetti is said to have threatened to ‘shut Clooney down.’

But his connection with Biden was personal too.

Ricchetti was Biden’s chief aide in 2013 when Biden’s oldest son, Beau, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and all four of Ricchetti’s children eventually took jobs in the Biden administration.

From Left: White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients who later became chief of staff, Senior Adviser to President Biden Mike Donilon,  White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Senior Adviser to President Biden Anita Dunn

As President Joe Biden walks to Air Force One, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini walks behind him with his granddaughter Finnegan Biden

Mike Donilon on July 31st 

Donilon was the chief strategist of Biden’s 2024 campaign and came under fire when authors Tapper and Thompson revealed in their book ‘Original Sin’ that he took the job for a cool $4 million.

He was a ‘true believer’ who was deeply trusted by Biden. He was seen as Biden’s ‘alter-ego,’ who could channel the president’s voice. 

Mike Donilon was seen as Joe Biden’s ‘alter-ego,’ who could channel Biden’s voice

‘The president valued Mike Donilon’s advice so much that aides would later joke that if he wanted, he could get Biden to start a war,’ Thompson and Tapper wrote. 

And Donilon was flippant with those who expressed concern about Biden’s age, telling them: ‘He’s going to get elected again with people thinking he’s too old.’ 

But some accused him of having a blind spot to Biden’s health issues, noting Donilon’s future was tied to the president’s.  

Bruce Reed on August 5th 

Known as Biden’s ‘AI whisperer,’ Reed ran the Biden administration’s policy planning. A centrist, Reed had infuriated liberals with his willingness to compromise with Republicans on their key issues. 

Bruce Reed was known as Joe Biden’s whisperer and ran the policy shop

He, Donilon and Ricchetti were dubbed the ‘politburo,’ and Reed was a regular at Camp David, helping prepare Biden for big moments like the annual State of the Union address.

Reed brought his family into the administration: his daughter worked as Biden’s day scheduler. 

Reed has a long career in government service. He was chief of staff when Biden was vice president and he worked for President Clinton.

Anita Dunn on August 7th 

Anita Dunn took the hit for Biden’s disastrous presidential debate

Dunn, who was the communications director, took the hit for failing to prepare Biden for his debate with Trump.

She was the one who pushed to have an historically early debate with the Republican nominee, which crushed Biden’s dreams of a second term. Though, she disputed at the time that it was ‘catastrophic’ for his election outlook, per Politico.

Married to attorney Bob Bauer, who is Biden’s personal lawyer, the duo is seen as the ultimate political power couple. 

But Dunn and Bauer only became close to Biden in 2015, when he was mulling whether or not to make a presidential bid. Biden didn’t run in 2016 but, when he threw his hat in the ring four years later, Dunn was an adviser on the campaign. 

She left the White House in July 2024 to work for a super-PAC promoting Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.