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Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are intensifying their investigation after Hunter Biden claimed his father’s poor debate performance last year may have been linked to Ambien, a prescription sleep aid. Fox News Digital confirmed that the probe is part of a broader inquiry into what Republicans call a cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the effort, which also includes examining potential unauthorized use of the presidential autopen for pardons and executive orders.
“He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s–t,” Hunter Biden said during an appearance on the “Channel 5” podcast. “They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights.”
Hunter later clarified to ABC News that he wasn’t implying President Biden took Ambien immediately before the debate, instead referencing the toll of his intense travel schedule ahead of the event.
“Hunter Biden’s claim that ‘they gave him Ambien to be able to sleep’ raises serious questions,” a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The House Oversight Committee is looking into this as part of its investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions by White House staff.”
Ambien, or zolpidem, is used to treat insomnia and is generally prescribed for short-term use. Side effects can include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, memory issues, and in rare cases, hallucinations and abnormal behavior. The drug has also been linked to a potential increased risk of dementia in older adults.
Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff and a key figure in his re-election campaign, is scheduled for a transcribed interview with the committee. In a letter requesting his testimony, Comer cited Klain cutting Biden’s debate prep short due to “fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter,” including the president allegedly struggling to understand his argument on inflation.
“If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response,” Comer stated.
A recent book by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdor, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, recounts how Biden’s aides were alarmed during the first 2024 debate. As Biden faltered on stage, reportedly ending one answer with “We finally beat Medicare,” Klain is quoted as saying, “We’re f—ed.”
When contacted, Klain told Fox News Digital, “I have nothing to add.”
In addition to Klain, the committee has subpoenaed several former Biden administration officials. Annie Tomasini, former deputy chief of staff and close aide to Jill Biden, became the third to invoke the Fifth Amendment in response to questioning. A source told Fox News Digital she declined to answer multiple questions during her closed-door deposition. She did not respond to questions from reporters, and her lawyers offered no comment.
“Today, the third witness in our investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions pleaded the Fifth Amendment. There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy,” Comer said.
Tomasini was initially scheduled for a voluntary interview but reportedly requested a subpoena through her attorneys. The other subpoenaed witnesses—former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor and Jill Biden aide Anthony Bernal—also invoked the Fifth.
President Biden’s office has not commented on the Ambien allegation or the broader GOP investigation. However, a source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking characterized the investigation as a politically motivated attack.
“It’s an attempt to smear and embarrass,” the source told Fox News Digital. “And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ [can] prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge.”
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