Biden’s Watergate & The Black Book of Arctic Frost

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Biden’s Watergate & The Black Book of Arctic Frost
Date: November 1, 2025
Host: Ben Ferguson

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Overview

This episode dives into explosive allegations against President Joe Biden, with a focus on a new House Oversight Committee report. The episode scrutinizes the president’s use of the "auto pen" to sign executive actions and pardons—raising questions about Biden’s cognitive health, the transparency of his administration, and who is truly running the White House. Host Ben Ferguson features extended segments from House Oversight Chairman James Comer and a collection of testimony and commentary from key administration insiders.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The House Oversight Report on Biden’s Auto Pen Use

[03:38–09:21]

• Committee Demands DOJ Probe: The House Oversight Committee, led by James Comer, asks the Justice Department to investigate President Biden's reliance on an auto pen for signing documents, suggesting this might represent a cover-up of cognitive decline.
• Testimony from Inner Circle: Comer details how 11 out of 12 deposed staffers never saw or met with President Biden regarding key legal documents.
  • Quote:

    “Each staffer gave conflicting reports as to how the auto pen use was authorized. But ... they never saw Joe Biden. ... There was a cover up of Joe Biden's mental decline.”—James Comer [05:33]

• Physician Pled the Fifth: Dr. O’Connor, the White House physician, declined to answer questions on Biden’s health by invoking the Fifth Amendment.
• Pardons and Orders Under Scrutiny: Staffers gave inconsistent accounts about the process for signing executive orders and granting pardons, particularly in Biden’s final months in office.
  • Quote:

    “No one saw Joe Biden. No one who authorized the auto pen ... ever heard directly from Joe Biden. ... This is appalling.”—James Comer [07:56]

Allegations of a "Shadow Presidency"

[09:21–10:56]

• Staffers Running the Show: Testimony reveals some prominent aides and officials had almost no personal contact with Biden for months or years. The implication is that unelected staff may have held de facto power.
  • Quote:

    “No one, quote, ever got direction from Joe Biden. No notes, no meetings, no orders. Just staffers running the country with an auto pen.”—Ben Ferguson [09:21]

Montage: Testimony & Media Spin

[10:56–18:53]

• Conflicting Stories and Denials: A mix of staff depositions, whistleblower emails, and media commentary heavily criticizes the administration for lacking transparency and for misleading both the public and other Democrats about Biden’s condition.
• The Fifth Amendment Pattern: Multiple key advisors and former officials invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than answer questions about Biden's condition or participation.
• Hunter Biden’s Unusual Influence: Jake Tapper is mentioned alleging that Hunter Biden acted as a "chief of staff" for the president.
  • Quote:

    “Hunter was driving the decision making for the family. He was almost like a chief of staff.”—Referencing Jake Tapper [14:45]

• White House Press Secretary & Staff Isolated: Some officials reportedly only interacted with Biden a handful of times; White House communications director Ian Sams saw Biden just twice in two years.
  • Quote:

    “Ian Sams ... interacted with him two times.”—James Comer [15:08]

• Debate Night Excuses: Advisors attribute Biden’s public stumbles to temporary illnesses, “cheap fake” videos, or downplay cognitive concerns.
• No Accountability Chain: No staff could definitively say who authorized or operated the auto pen, and no documentation exists outlining Biden’s real involvement in decision-making.
  • Quote:

    “That auto pen was used excessively and yet no one can say for certain that Joe Biden was given the orders to use the auto pen.”—James Comer [18:53]

• Suggested Remedies: Comer claims every pardon signed with the autopen under suspect circumstances should be declared null and void.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Core of the ‘Cover-Up’:
  • “There was A cover up of Joe Biden's mental decline.”
    — James Comer [05:33]
• On Staff Isolation:
  • “The staffers confirmed that they would go weeks, months, and even years without communicating with Joe Biden.”
    — James Comer [09:04]
• On Lack of Presidential Oversight:
  • “Who was running the country? Well, we know that Joe Biden was not running the show at all.”
    — Ben Ferguson [09:20]
• On Fifth Amendment Invocations:
  • “She has now taken the Fifth ... Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy.”
    — Ben Ferguson [13:38]
• On Media Complicity:
  • “Start your tape right now because I'm about to tell you the truth. And f you if you can't handle the truth. This version of Biden is the best Biden ever.”
    — James Comer [12:44]
• On Administration’s Messaging:
  • “His rhetorical skills were not as strong as they had been and his speeches were less effective. ... We tried to design a strategy.”
    — Unnamed Senior Advisor [12:20, 12:28]
• On Hunter Biden:
  • “Hunter was driving the decision making for the family. He was almost like a chief of staff.”
    — Referencing Jake Tapper, shared by Ben Ferguson [14:45]
• Summarizing Impact:
  • “They stole the presidency of the United States.”
    — Ben Ferguson [17:02]
  • “No one can say for certain that Joe Biden was given the orders to use the auto pen.”
    — James Comer [18:53]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:38 — Start of main report: House Oversight investigation unveiled
• 05:33 — Comer discusses the “cover-up” and lack of presidential involvement
• 07:56 — More detail on depositions, lack of evidence Biden was involved in key decisions
• 09:21 — Summary: “Staffers running the country with an auto pen”
• 10:56 — Montage of testimony, press exchanges, and media commentary
• 14:45 — Hunter Biden’s role characterized as de facto chief of staff
• 17:02 — “They stole the presidency” claim
• 18:53 — Final word on excessive auto pen use, calls for sharing the episode

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Tone and Language

Ben Ferguson presents in a highly skeptical, combative tone focused on media distrust and exposes. The language is direct, punctuated by wide-ranging accusations including “cover-up,” “shadow presidency,” and “massive conspiracy.” The overall stance is accusatory and incredulous, repeatedly criticizing both the administration and the press for perceived cover-ups.

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Summary

This episode delivers a highly critical examination of President Biden’s fitness and legitimacy, anchored on testimony and investigatory findings from the House Oversight Committee. With repeated emphasis on Biden’s lack of direct involvement in executive actions and staff's evasiveness or legal protections, Ferguson and guests paint a picture of a presidency managed behind closed doors—echoing Watergate-style scandal rhetoric.

The episode frames the story as a major crisis deserving wider media attention and encourages listeners to share the findings on social media, positioning itself as a corrective to “mainstream” narratives.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast. This is the story of the One. As head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming, and his facility shines with Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces. Plus 24. 7 customer support. His venue never misses a beat. Call quickgranger.com or, or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[James Comer]

They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC's low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass like the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[Narrator/Host]

Good Saturday morning to you. Ben Ferguson with you. And we've got one big bombshell story for you coming out of the White House, and that is this. We now know that Republicans have unleashed the facts on Joe Biden, his cognitive decline. And now Comer and the House Oversight Committee are demanding that the Department of Justice probe the auto pin use in a scathing new report. I have all the details for you you're not going to want to miss. But first, I want to tell you about an amazing opportunity right now that I'm involved in and I cannot wait for you to take advantage of it. I want you to take some incredible courses at Hillsdale College for free. You may not know this, but Hillsdale College has been influencing conservatives like myself for decades. They had a huge impact on Charlie Kirk's life. And even as memorial service they talked about how Charlie took took class after class after class at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale College is now offering for you, the listeners of this show more than 40 free. I want to say that again. Free online courses. That's right. More than 40 free online courses. You can learn about the works of C.S. lewis, the stories in the book of Genesis, the meaning of the US Constitution, the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, the history of the ancient Christian Church, all with Hillsdale College's free online courses. Right now, I'm personally taking the Constitution 101. In this course, you're going to explore the design and the purpose of the Constitution, the challenges it faced during the Civil War, and how it has been undermined for more than a century by radical progressives and liberals. This 12 lecture course is self paced. It's another reason why I love it. So start whenever and wherever in our country we need more Americans like you and I that understand the Constitution and can defend the freedom of the American people against the left and their increasing encroachments on our God given rights. So start your classes today for free. Start your free Constitution 101 course right now. How do you do it? Go to Hillsdale Eduardo slash Morning update to enroll and it's no cost. It's easy to get started. You got to use the special website hillsdale edu Morning update Enroll for free hillsdale edu morningupdate. It's a 47 morning update and it starts right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Story number one.

[Narrator/Host]

It is a scathing report. It's truly unbelievable what has been uncovered when it comes to Biden's use of the auto penny. The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday asked the Justice Department to investigate former President Joe Biden's use of the auto pen to sign executive orders and pardons. The request came after the committee released a report on its investigation into Biden's use of the auto pin and whether it indicated an administration cover up of an alleged cognitive decline. In a letter to the Attorney General Pam Bondi, Representative James Comer, the chairman of the committee, accused Biden's aides of coordinating what he described as a, quote, cover up of the president's diminished faculties. I want you to hear what James Comer had to say about all of this earlier on tv Describe a shadow.

[Ben Ferguson]

Presidency basically run through a series of White House aides and the auto pen. With what specific executive actions do you believe were signed without President Biden's knowledge and what's the evidence that supports those claims?

[James Comer]

Well, we just focused on the legal documents. We just focused on pardons and executive orders. We brought 12 of Biden's inner circle individuals in for depositions. They had hours and hours and hours, Matt, to explain to us how Joe Biden was involved in the decision making process of the various pardons and the various executive orders. Each staffer gave conflicting reports as to how the auto pin use was authorized. But at the end of the day, one thing that was consistent with 11 of the 12 staffers, and that's everyone but Jeff Zients, the chief of staff, in the end was that they never saw Joe Biden. They never heard from Joe Biden. They were never in any meeting or policy discussions with Joe Biden when he talked about the pardons or talked about the executive orders that, you know, there was no chain of custody. There was no consistency in how the use of the Otto pen. I think it's safe to say that there was A cover up of Joe Biden's mental decline. We gave the White House physician, Dr. O' Connor, an opportunity to come in and defend his. All the statements that he released saying Joe Biden was in perfect fiscal and mental shape and he pled the fifth Amendment to avoid self incrimination. So when we brought in people like Ian Sam's, who you know I battled with, you battle with that when you were here fighting the good fight. Ian Sams would go in front of the cameras every day and talk about Joe Biden and Joe Biden said this and that. And when we had him under oath, he admitted he only met and spoke to Joe Biden in person two times in two years. Neera Tanden, his executive secretary, who we see Trump's executive secretary with him multiple times a day. She only had limited communication with Joe Biden. They kept Joe Biden shielded. There was a cover up of his mental decline. And there's no evidence that exists, no notes, nothing that exists that Joe Biden was involved in any of the decision making process with the, with the pardons and the executive orders.

[Narrator/Host]

You think about how shocking that is. A staff that literally is not speaking or spending time or talking to the President of the United States of America. And that's part of the bombshell report exposing Biden's alleged misuse of the auto pin that included pardons and official documents. That is part of what this investigation is all about. James Comer also had this to say on Laura Ingram show.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, to the regular person watching.

[Narrator/Host]

This out there in TV land, this stinks to high heaven. So we need your gut check.

[Ben Ferguson]

You've seen all the documents. Is there any evidence indicating that Biden.

[Narrator/Host]

Himself was involved in approving these pardons? Real hard evidence.

[James Comer]

There really isn't. And it's astonishing when you're talking about thousands of pardons and dozens of executive orders. Basically any legal document, especially during the last three months of the Biden administration, that's what we focused on. And every person who we deposed had a different story on what the proper process was that they followed in using the auto pin to sign a legal document. Their stories were inconsistent. And then when you throw in the emails from the, from the Merrick Garland Department of Justice expressing concern to these very staffers about the excessive use of the Otto Pen and, and asking point blank questions, what was their process? Then the entire stories change. So the inconsistencies are abound. But one thing that is consistent, Laura, is the fact that no one saw Joe Biden. No one who authorized the Auto pin or even gave the authorization to use the auto pin. No one who authorized auto pin or actually physically manually pressed the power button. A lot of pin ever heard directly from Joe Biden. And furthermore, there are no notes, there's no chain of custody that would show that Joe Biden was involved in any meetings where they discussed the pardon process. I mean, this is appalling. And everyone in America saw during the debate and during the last few months of the Biden administration this was a president in decline. The staffers confirmed that they would go weeks, months and even years without communicating with Joe Biden. This is a massive cover up. And what we determined was every pardon should be declared null and void.

[Narrator/Host]

I want you to think about what you just heard. Not only do they say that the Biden presidency was on autopilot, but he wasn't the one running the show. No one, quote, ever got direction from Joe Biden. No notes, no meetings, no orders. Just staffers running the country with an auto pin. And many of the people that should have been talking to the President didn't speak to him for weeks, months, or even years in positions of power. So who was running the country? Well, we know that Joe Biden was not running the show at all. But what we do have now is 47 hours of transcripts and testimony revealing that numerous high ranking officials, numerous former chief of staffs, numerous former secretaries, and numerous former people in the press office, including the White House press secretary, are now on the record talking about the lies they told the American people and made the lies that the media was happy to tell as well. The other thing that I'm going to play for you is a montage put out by the House Oversight Committee. Joe Biden was not running the show. And their new report, they say, exposes how Biden's decline was real and his aides covered it up. Take a listen to what they put together, proving the point that no one really knows who was doing the auto pin and who was signing what or who was even directing it. Take a listen.

[Ben Ferguson]

Was the number one issue in the campaign, the President's fitness or his age. Did you ever see President Biden in a wheelchair? I do not recall ever seeing President Biden in a wheelchair. And new information now on the people in his inner circle and how the COVID up actually operated.

[James Comer]

Senior aides that worked here until just a couple months ago, the beginning of.

[Ben Ferguson]

This year, manipulating an ailing president for their own gain. How much were you paying, paid for your role in the campaign in 2024, just a little bit short of $4 million. I'm sorry, how much? $4 million. You believe that the president should stay in the race. Your own financial stake in the matter was a factor in any way? Your vice president. I. I don't believe that.

[James Comer]

Now when it comes to President Biden's.

[Ben Ferguson]

Decline, the official word from Biden world about all these new stories.

[James Comer]

Stories is that nothing has been revealed.

[Ben Ferguson]

This week that shows that President Biden.

[James Comer]

Was anything but an effective president.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, I noticed that he was aging in terms of his physical condition. I noticed that, you know, he shuffled more, but he has more stumbling over words and gaffes than he did at the beginning of the term.

[James Comer]

His rhetorical skills were not as strong as they had been and his speeches were less effective. I thought we talked about age.

[Ben Ferguson]

We knew it was an issue and.

[James Comer]

We tried to design a strategy.

[Ben Ferguson]

We had a discussion at the senior advisor level about whether the president should have a cognitive exam. Flashback now to the legacy media's complete denial of the president's cognitive decline.

[James Comer]

Start your tape right now because I'm about to tell you the truth.

[Ben Ferguson]

And f you if you can't handle the truth. This version of Biden is the best Biden ever. His mental acuity is great. It's fine. It's as good as it's been over the years. He is sharp. He is on top of things. Do you regret saying that President Biden had a mental acuity?

[James Comer]

He had a sharpness to him.

[Ben Ferguson]

I said what I believe to be true. You think he was as sharp as you? I said I had not seen decline. And I hadn't. He is just fine. How people interpret that is up to them.

[Narrator/Host]

We are watching the testimony of this.

[Ben Ferguson]

Woman here, Annie Thomas.

[Narrator/Host]

She's the former senior advisor to President Joe Biden. She was the third person set to.

[James Comer]

Appear before James Comer's committee.

[Narrator/Host]

She has now taken the Fifth.

[Ben Ferguson]

There is now a pattern of key.

[Narrator/Host]

Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy.

[Ben Ferguson]

Were you ever told to lie about the President's the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based upon the physician patient privilege and in reliance on my right under the Fifth Amendment Constitution. Let the record reflect that Dr. O' Connor has invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination. Dr. O', Connor, did you ever believe the President was unfit to execute his duties as president? We can tell you that he will have the same answer with respect to any questions that are asked. Did any unelected official or family member of President Joe Biden execute the duties of the presidency? Did Joe Biden, a member of his family or anyone at the White House ever instruct you to lie regarding his health? On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declined to answer the question pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution. And if that wasn't shocking enough, Dick Tapper claims Hunter Biden was basically acting like the Chief of staff. Hunter was driving the decision making for the family. He was almost like a chief of staff. Did you notice an uptick ever when Hunter Biden was around? Yes. Towards the end, I think he was living with the President. They were lying not just to the public, they were lying to other Democrats. Have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

[James Comer]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Were you in favor of Hunter Biden getting a pardon? Yes. Did you ever ask Joe Biden if the allegations regarding his son were true?

[James Comer]

No. Ian Sams, who was the White House spokesperson, interacted with him two times. Two times?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, I think it's really important to. To take the sound bite and understand the context. How often would you say that you interacted with the President in person? I interacted with him pretty infrequently. I think I met with the President a handful of times during my tenure. White House. I gotta say, that doesn't look anything like the President that I know when I deal with him. He's sharp, he's asking tough questions. That's the President Biden that so many of us experience every single day. You don't think it's missing some context? I don't.

[James Comer]

So it raises serious concerns and serious questions about who was calling shots in the White House. If the White House spokesperson is being shielded from the President United States, who was operating the Oval Office.

[Ben Ferguson]

Age wasn't an issue for you, for President Biden? No, it was not. At this time. Do you think President Biden was fully in command that night during the debate? I do believe that he was fully in command that night during the debate. I knew it was very difficult to get past some of the visual things that were causing people concern about the President's country. The voter's concerns about President Biden were wrong?

[James Comer]

Yes. He often would confuse names.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do you think it got worse as you knew him?

[James Comer]

Yes. Are you sure you're being honest with yourself when you say you have the.

[Ben Ferguson]

Mental and physical capacity to serve another four years? Yes, I am. I did not have the experience that it took him longer to answer simple question. He could stumble. He was a stumbled. So physically, what is a cheap thing? It was something that we did not coin it was something that the media coined. Did you or did anyone ever verify if the videos you were talking about were in fact cheap fakes? I believe so. But there were instances where videos were circulated of President Biden appearing confused or freezing for a moment that were real, correct? Not that I recall.

[James Comer]

She told you this real video of Biden getting lost in an Italian field was fake. Now she's saying, yeah, my White House.

[Ben Ferguson]

Was broken and I'm switching parties and.

[James Comer]

Was suffering from a cold. That really constrained his voice and constrained his. His ability to be forceful in the debate.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do you attribute President Biden's performance that night to him being under the weather? That's my assumption. The ability of Medicare to. For the ability for us to be able to negotiate drug prices in big pharma companies. Had you ever seen him have a.

[Narrator/Host]

Cold or a flu before?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes. Did he ever behave the way that he did during the debate? Not that I. Not that I. It was clear what he was trying to say. Dealing with everything we have to do with. Look, if we finally beat Medicare, it was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired and that took over the auto pen. They stole the presidency of the United States. Do you know who the people who were actually operated the autobend were? I did not. Do you know any of the actual staff who were using the autobend?

[James Comer]

No.

[Ben Ferguson]

You don't know their names? No. Have you never seen a decision memo laying out the breakdown of when the President should hand sign a particular set of documents? Not prior to prep. Did he hand sign all executive orders? He did not. He hand signed money executive order orders, but he did not sign hand sign all executive orders. Can you read your response? I approve the use of the auto pen for the execution of all the following pardons. Thanks, Jay Z. Did you yourself write this email? I do not believe I did.

[James Comer]

That auto pin was used excessively and yet no one can say for certain that Joe Biden was given the orders to use the auto pin.

[Narrator/Host]

I hope you'll take this very special episode the 47 and share it on social media, please, wherever you can. This is a story that not going to get a lot of coverage. It should get an awful lot of coverage and I hope all of you will help spread the word.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now and for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning. Every now and then I rinse it out and I. And I needed more. My kid went so bad. And the smell never leaves. I don't know what to do. I'm always in the dark. The sweat and dead sh smells like a dark. I'm down here. Downy Rinse fights stubborn odors in just one wash. When impossible odors get stuck in. This is an I Heart podcast.