Hunter Biden’s recent comments about his father’s debate performance have ignited a firestorm among House Republicans, who are now intensifying their probe into what they call a cover-up of the former president’s cognitive health. The claim that an Ambien pill and sheer exhaustion played a role in Joe Biden’s faltering appearance has raised eyebrows and fueled demands for answers.
According to Fox News, Hunter Biden suggested on the "Channel 5" podcast that his 81-year-old father was “tired as s--t” and given Ambien to sleep, which left him looking like a “deer in the headlights” on stage. Though Hunter later clarified to ABC News that he didn’t mean Ambien was taken right before the debate, the damage was done, and the narrative of a struggling president took hold.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the charge, insisting that these remarks warrant a deeper look into whether White House staff concealed Biden’s condition or even acted without proper authorization on executive matters. A committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Hunter’s statement about Ambien “raises serious questions,” and they’re determined to uncover the truth behind the scenes.
Ambien, known medically as zolpidem, is a prescription drug for short-term insomnia treatment, but it comes with a laundry list of side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, and even memory issues or abnormal behavior, per GoodRx data. The idea that a sitting president might have been under its influence, even indirectly, during a critical public moment is a red flag for many who value sharp leadership.
Hunter’s attempt to walk back his words by pointing to his father’s grueling travel schedule doesn’t quite extinguish the concern. If exhaustion and medication are enough to derail a debate, one has to wonder how those factors played into daily decision-making behind closed doors.
The GOP isn’t buying the clarification, and why should they when the initial comment paints such a vivid, troubling picture? This isn’t just about one bad night; it’s about whether the American people were misled on the capability of their commander-in-chief.
As the investigation unfolds, key figures from Biden’s orbit are clamming up, with former aide Annie Tomasini invoking the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door deposition with the Oversight Committee, as reported by Fox News Digital. Her refusal to speak, alongside two other ex-officials doing the same, only deepens the suspicion of a coordinated effort to hide something significant.
Comer didn’t mince words, stating to Fox News Digital that this “pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability” suggests a potential conspiracy around the former president’s cognitive decline. When even trusted insiders won’t talk, it’s hard not to question what they’re so desperate to protect.
Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to Jill Biden, and former White House physician Kevin O’Connor also pleaded the Fifth, further frustrating investigators. This wall of silence isn’t just inconvenient; it’s a glaring signal that the full story remains buried, and taxpayers deserve better than evasions.
Details from a new book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdor, reveal Biden’s aides wincing as he stumbled through answers during the June 2024 debate. One garbled response about “beating Medicare” prompted Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, to declare backstage, “We’re f---ed,” per the authors’ account.
Klain, who cut debate prep short last year due to Biden’s fatigue and apparent confusion over inflation arguments, as cited in a POLITICO report via Comer’s letter, is set for a transcribed interview with the committee. His curt “I have nothing to add” to Fox News Digital doesn’t inspire confidence that clarity is coming anytime soon.
These anecdotes aren’t just gossip; they paint a picture of a team scrambling to manage a leader who couldn’t keep up. If aides were this alarmed in real time, why wasn’t the public given a straight answer about what was really going on?
A source close to the Biden team dismissed the GOP probe as “retribution” and a “partisan, coordinated effort” to smear and embarrass, per Fox News Digital. But crying foul over politics doesn’t erase the legitimate questions about whether staff overstepped or obscured the truth from the American people.
Comer’s warning that Congress may need a “legislative response” if staff performed presidential duties without authorization isn’t an idle threat; it’s a call to safeguard the integrity of our highest office. The notion of unelected aides potentially pulling strings while a president falters is a betrayal of trust that can’t be brushed aside with accusations of revenge.
This isn’t about personal vendettas; it’s about ensuring that no administration, regardless of party, can hide a leader’s incapacity while the nation watches unaware. The Ambien claim might be a small spark, but it’s lit a blaze of scrutiny that won’t be easily doused until the full truth comes to light.
