House Oversight Committee Investigates Allegations Against Biden Administration

Ian Sams, a former senior advisor and spokesperson for President Biden, recently appeared before the House Oversight Committee. This is part of an ongoing inquiry into claims that top officials in the Democratic administration may have attempted to hide evidence of Biden’s cognitive decline.

The committee is also looking into the suspected unauthorized use of an autopen to sign official documents during the last days of Biden’s presidency.

Sams, who has extensive experience in Democratic Party communications, was previously the senior spokesperson for former Vice President Kamala Harris during her brief presidential campaign in 2024, which took place after Biden exited the race.

On Thursday morning, Sams voluntarily arrived at the Rayburn building but chose not to speak with reporters.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) mentioned, “He had a lot to say while he was working for the White House, so I’m sure he’ll have a lot to say today. He was very vocal and very active on Twitter. We’re going to ask him questions about what he said publicly from behind the podium at the White House and what he tweeted about – and see if he still stands by those claims.”

In June, the Oversight Project’s investigation into the Biden administration’s use of the autopen for signing documents, including an unprecedented number of pardons and clemency grants, drew attention from both the national media and the White House.

Comer later wrote to Sams, stating, “You were a first line of defense to spin negative stories about the president and his mishaps. The scope of your responsibilities and your personal interactions within the Oval Office cannot go without investigation, given the mounting evidence that President Biden was incapacitated for much, if not all, of his single term.” He added that if there was a strategy to hide the condition of the chief executive, Congress might need to think about a legislative response.

After participating in a transcribed interview with the committee, Comer pointed out that Sams had only interacted with Biden “twice” during his tenure in the White House, from May 2022 to August 2024.

Comer emphasized, “It raises serious concerns about who was calling the shots at the White House. If the White House spokesperson was shielded from the president, who was really operating the Oval Office?” He noted that there were few staff members present around Biden, especially towards the end, when many pardons and executive orders were signed using the autopen.

Sams is the eleventh former White House staff member to face the committee in this investigation regarding a potential cover-up of Biden’s mental and physical decline while in office. Other witnesses, including Biden’s White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, have invoked their Fifth Amendment rights when questioned.

Additionally, other aides are still expected to testify before the committee next month, among them former Deputy Assistant to the President Andrew Bates, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and former White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.