By The House Oversight Committee, under Chairman James Comer, from Kentucky, has launched an aggressive new phase in its investigation into what it calls a “shadow government” operating inside the Biden White House. At the center of the probe are explosive allegations that unelected aides, not President Joe Biden, were directing major policy decisions—raising fresh constitutional concerns about presidential authority and accountability.
In a dramatic escalation, Comer has issued subpoenas to both Hunter Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, as the committee zeroes in on claims that Biden was sidelined from key executive functions, reported Newsweek. Chief among the concerns is the controversial use of an autopen to sign official documents—including executive orders and 32 last-minute presidential pardons that included his own family—without the president’s direct involvement. Critics say the practice may have enabled unelected staffers to wield presidential powers behind the scenes.
Comer isn’t alone, either. Senate Republicans have also announced a probe into Biden’s “politburo,” according to ABC News.
Republican Sens. Eric Schmitt and John Cornyn will co-chair a first-of-its-kind Senate Judiciary Committee hearing next month on the subject, which they say was covered up by members of the media. The focus echoes President Donald Trump’s oft-repeated claims about Biden’s mental fitness while president and criticism of Biden’s use of autopen, a mechanical device to automatically add a signature to a document that’s been utilized by several past presidents, including Trump in his first term.
“We need to get past the failures of the media, which were legend as you pointed out, or the political issue of ‘were you for Biden or against Biden?’ This is about a constitutional crisis, where we basically have a mentally incompetent president who’s not in charge,” Cornyn said Thursday on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”
“The question is: Who is in charge? Whose finger is on the nuclear button or has the nuclear codes? Who can declare war? How do we defend the nation when we have basically an absent president? And those are constitutional issues we need to address and correct,” Cornyn said.
On Friday, after delivering his first public remarks since his office announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, Biden responded to reporters who asked him about Democrats who say he shouldn’t have run again. “Why didn’t they run against me then? Because I’d have beaten them,” Biden said, adding that he has no regrets.
The moves have full support from the White House. On Friday, spokesman Karoline Leavitt said, “I think, frankly, the former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regards to her husband … Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup.”
"I think, frankly, the former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regards to her husband … Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup" — Leavitt calls for Jill Biden to testify to Congress pic.twitter.com/Ht2MdEEhB3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 29, 2025
The allegations have gained traction among conservative media outlets, with Fox News and others drawing comparisons to Watergate—though supporters argue the Biden case could prove far more sweeping given the lack of mainstream media scrutiny. Detractors, however, warn against overstating the case without conclusive evidence, noting that staff routinely support decision-making in every administration.
Still, the stakes are high. If GOP investigation uncovers proof that key executive actions were conducted without lawful presidential consent, the fallout could be historic—raising new questions about the integrity of presidential governance and igniting a broader reckoning over the role of unelected power in Washington.
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