The U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee has intensified its inquiry into former president Joe Biden’s mental fitness and possible unauthorized use of the presidential autopen by compelling testimony from Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide who served as Jill Biden’s chief of staff. Bernal was subpoenaed on 26 June after he declined an earlier request to testify voluntarily. Bernal appeared for a closed-door deposition on 16 July but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked whether unelected officials or family members performed presidential duties and whether he had been told to misrepresent Biden’s health. Committee chairman James Comer said the session lasted less than half an hour and produced no substantive answers. Bernal is the second former White House official to refuse to cooperate, following Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s former physician, who pleaded the Fifth on 9 July. Comer indicated additional subpoenas are possible, while Democrats dismissed the investigation as partisan theatre. The committee is weighing next steps, including potential contempt proceedings, as it seeks to determine who authorized key decisions during the final months of the Biden administration.