‘The View’ co-host accuses former Biden officials of ‘hiding something’ by pleading the Fifth to Congress

“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said on Friday that previous White House officials appear to be “hiding something” about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline by pleading the Fifth during their congressional depositions.

Biden’s physician Kevin O’Connor, former Biden assistant Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, the former chief of staff for former first lady Jill Biden, all pleaded the Fifth during their depositions relating to the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the use of the autopen and the alleged cover-up of Biden’s decline. Griffin told her fellow co-hosts that the former officials’ refusal to answer basic questions indicates they are hiding egregious information.

“[Pleading the Fifth] is making people want to ask even more questions, I’m sorry. And as a former government official, who I’ve testified before Congress voluntarily and the Justice Department, there was never a moment I thought about pleading the Fifth. Because the taxpayers paid my salary, if they wanted an answer to what I saw in government, I felt it was my duty to my country to answer,” Griffin began.

Co-host Joy Behar then asked why the officials are refusing to answer questions.

“It sounds like they’re hiding something,” Griffin answered. “Those are pretty basic questions.”

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Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said that Tomasini pleaded the Fifth when asked if she ever advised Biden on the handling of classified documents found in his garage, if Biden or anyone else in the White House instructed her to conceal or destroy classified materials, or if she ever “conspired” with any White House official to hide information related to Biden’s business dealings.

Comer subpoenaed the three officials for allegedly “running interference” as Biden’s mental state declined. Tomasini and Bernal were allegedly part of the “politburo,” a small, tight-knit group of Biden staffers who were the “ultimate decision-makers” as Biden’s health took a major toll, according to “Original Sin,” a book written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axio’s Alex Thompson.

Comer said the former officials’ silence has made clear that they are attempting to avoid “criminal liability.”

“There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy … It’s unbelievable that Ms. Tomasini and others refuse to answer basic questions about President Biden’s fitness to serve. It’s apparent they would rather hide key information to protect themselves and Joe Biden than be truthful with the American people about this historic scandal,” Comer stated on X.

The White House opened an investigation into the cover-up of Biden’s health in June, alleging that top officials used autopen signatures to make decisions for the then-president. Trump said that it became “increasingly apparent” that his aides used the autopen to “conceal” his decline and “assert Article II authority.”

Tapper and Thompson’s book, which was released in May, detailed how the White House shielded Biden from the public and the press in order to cover-up his failing physical and cognitive health. O’Connor warned White House staff that the then-president may have needed a wheelchair if he had suffered from another fall, which caused panicked aides to take extra strides to make sure he kept his balance in public settings.

In June 2024, Biden also allegedly did not recognize his own longtime acquaintance, Hollywood actor George Clooney, at a campaign fundraiser. The extent to which Biden had declined had reportedly left Clooney in shock, according to “Original Sin.”

After the former president was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer in May, questions arose about whether Biden or O’Connor had known that he had cancer while he was in office.