BOMBSHELL! House Probe Alleges Biden Wasn't Calling the Shots on Exec Orders or Pardons

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: BOMBSHELL! House Probe Alleges Biden Wasn't Calling the Shots on Exec Orders or Pardons

Date: October 29, 2025
Host: Ben Ferguson
Key Guest/Voice: James Comer (House Oversight Committee Chairman), various anonymous and attributed congressional testimonies and White House aides

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Episode Overview

This episode centers around a "bombshell" report released by the House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer, that alleges President Joe Biden was not personally authorizing executive orders or presidential pardons during his administration’s latter months. The episode examines charges of a cover-up regarding Biden's cognitive decline, questions about the White House's use of the autopen to sign key documents, and features excerpts from committee depositions, including moments where staffers and the President's physician plead the Fifth.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The House Oversight Committee Report and Autopen Investigation

• The House Oversight Committee has called on the Department of Justice to investigate whether the use of the autopen for signing documents points to an administrative cover-up of President Biden’s alleged cognitive decline.

• Comer claims a “shadow presidency” was effectively operated by staffers and aides, not by Biden himself, particularly with respect to signing executive orders and granting pardons.

• Quote:

  “Each staffer gave conflicting reports as to how the autopen use was authorized... but the one thing that was consistent... was that they never saw Joe Biden, never heard from Joe Biden, were never in any meeting or policy discussions with Joe Biden when he talked about pardons or executive orders.”
  — James Comer [05:27]

• Key staffers reportedly rarely met with or spoke to Biden, and “no chain of custody” demonstrates Biden’s involvement in these high-level decisions.

• Dr. O’Connor, the President’s physician, reportedly “pled the fifth” when given the opportunity to defend his public statements about Biden's mental fitness.

• Quote:

  “There’s no evidence that exists, no notes, nothing that exists that Joe Biden was involved in any of the decision-making processes.”
  — James Comer [07:10]

2. Deposition and Testimony Highlights

• Of the 12 Biden staffers deposed, only Chief of Staff Jeff Zients claimed any regular contact with the President; most others had not seen or interacted with him regarding executive actions.
• Inconsistencies abounded:
  • Different stories on the process for autopen usage.
  • When Department of Justice emails raised concerns with staffers, their stories changed again.
• Some senior staff — and the White House Press Secretary — admitted to only rare or brief interactions with Biden.
• Testimony noted the President “was shielded” from staff and meetings, and many aides invoked the Fifth Amendment in committee.
• Quote:

  “The staffers confirmed that they would go weeks, months and even years without communicating with Joe Biden. This is a massive cover-up.”
  — James Comer [09:28]

3. Broader Allegations and the Question of Legitimacy

• Comer and Ferguson underscore how this situation creates doubts about who was truly “running the country.”
• The report alleges lying to both the public and fellow Democrats about the President’s cognitive state.
• Testimony montage highlights conflicting internal and external narratives about Biden’s mental fitness, age, and involvement.

4. Media and White House Response

• Clips played from media and staffers show denial or downplaying of President Biden’s cognitive decline.
• Some claim “this version of Biden is the best Biden ever,” while others admit behind closed doors to issues like confusion, shuffling, and gaffes.
• Advisor Annie Thomas pleads the Fifth on substantive questions about presidential health and decision-making.
• Quote:

  “They were lying not just to the public, they were lying to other Democrats.”
  — Ben Ferguson [15:33]

5. Hunter Biden's Alleged Role

• A discussed revelation claims that Hunter Biden at times played a quasi-Chief of Staff role, increasingly involved in family and staff decisions as the administration wore on.
• Quote:

  “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.”
  — Unknown/Comer Testimony [15:17]

6. The Public's Right to Know

• Ferguson urges listeners to share the episode, citing a lack of mainstream media coverage of the findings.
• The situation is framed as urgent, questioning the legitimacy of decisions and pardons from the latter Biden administration.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Describe a shadow presidency basically run through a series of White House aides and the autopen.”
  — Ben Ferguson [05:18]

• “We gave the White House physician, Dr. O’Connor, an opportunity...and he pled the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination.”
  — James Comer [06:32]

• “So who was running the country? ...We know that Joe Biden was not running the show at all.”
  — Ben Ferguson [09:25]

• “Flashback now to the legacy media’s complete denial of the president’s cognitive decline. Start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And f you if you can’t handle the truth.”
  — Ben Ferguson [13:19]

• “She has now taken the fifth... There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability.”
  — Narrator [14:12]

• “Did you ever ask Joe Biden if the allegations regarding his son were true? No.”
  — Ben Ferguson/Debutant [15:45]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:14] — Introduction of the House Oversight Committee Report on autopen usage
• [05:15] — Key discussion with James Comer about inconsistent staff testimony
• [07:35] — Summary of staff shielding and absence of Biden from decision-making
• [08:09] — Does direct evidence exist of Biden’s involvement? (Comer says no)
• [11:32] — Compilation of testimony highlighting the degree of isolation around Biden
• [13:03] — Discussion about internal campaign and advisement regarding Biden’s cognitive health
• [14:05] — Pattern of staffers pleading the Fifth
• [15:17] — Allegation of Hunter Biden acting as de facto Chief of Staff
• [17:02] — Remarks on Biden’s public gaffes and incidents cited as evidence
• [19:29] — Final remarks on autopen usage and uncertainty about who authorized “autopen” decisions
• [19:39] — Ben Ferguson’s call to share and spread the episode

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a sharply critical and urgent tone, often expressing incredulity and frustration at perceived cover-up and lack of transparency. Ferguson and Comer’s language is direct, sometimes confrontational, and openly skeptical of both the White House and media narratives. There is a clear intent to rally listeners, with frequent calls to action and assertions of information being withheld from the public.

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Summary

This episode of The 47 Morning Update delivers an extensive critique of President Biden’s administration, centered on allegations of concealed cognitive decline and delegation (or abdication) of presidential decision-making. Supported by extensive (and, at times, conflicting) staffer testimony, the episode argues that high-level executive functions were performed without Biden’s knowledge or involvement, casting doubts on official documents and the integrity of executive actions. Through clips, quotes, and direct committee evidence, Ferguson and Comer challenge official narratives and conclude with an appeal to the audience to share what they frame as an under-reported, vital story.

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Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[James Comer]

I think she should be impeached.

[Ben Ferguson]

I think she's terrible. Is she originally from Somalia?

[Narrator/Host]

So how are they doing this?

[James Comer]

How's their government? Do they have a president?

[Ben Ferguson]

Do they have a council?

[James Comer]

Do they have anything?

[Ben Ferguson]

Do they have police? I love these people that come from a place with nothing, nothing, no anything.

[James Comer]

And then they tell us how to run our traffic.

[Narrator/Host]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Good Wednesday morning. It's so nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. 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. The they had a huge impact on Charlie Kirk's life. And even as memorial service, they talked about how Charlie 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, or 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 Edu Morning Update to enroll and it's no cost. It's easy to get started. You got to use a special website, Hillsdale Edu Morning Update Enroll for free hillsdale edu morningupdate. It's the 47 morning update and it starts right now.

[James Comer]

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 pen. 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 pen 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.

[James Comer]

Describe a shadow presidency basically run through.

[Ben Ferguson]

A series of White House aides and the auto pen. What specific executive do you believe were signed without President Biden's knowledge and what's.

[James Comer]

The evidence that supports those claims? 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 position, 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 Sams, who, you know, I battled with, you battled 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. I mean, to the regular person watching 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.

[Narrator/Host]

Is there any evidence indicating that Biden 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 auto pin and asking point blank questions, what was their process? Then the entire stories changed. 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 on auto 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 with 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 many of 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 paid for your role in the campaign in 2024? Just a little bit short of. What?

[James Comer]

Sorry?

[Ben Ferguson]

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 don't believe.

[James Comer]

And when it comes to President Biden's.

[Ben Ferguson]

Decline, the official word from Biden world about all these news stories is that.

[James Comer]

Nothing has been revealed this week that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Shows that President Biden was anything but an effective president. Yes, I noticed that he was aging in terms of his physical condition. I noticed that, you know, he shuffled more. That he has more stumbling overboards 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. Start your tape right now because I'm.

[James Comer]

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 Sr. She's the.

[Narrator/Host]

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 health, 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? And we can tell you that you 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?

[Narrator/Host]

I respectfully declined to answer the question.

[Ben Ferguson]

Pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

[Announcer]

And if that wasn't shocking enough, Dick Tapper claims Hunter Biden was basically acting like the Chief of Staff.

[Ben Ferguson]

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? Yes. Were you in favor of. Of Hunter Biden getting a pardon? Yes. Did you ever ask Joe Biden if the allegations regarding his son were true? No.

[James Comer]

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.

[Narrator/Host]

How often would you say that you.

[Ben Ferguson]

Interacted with the President in person? I interacted with him pretty in person.

[Narrator/Host]

Frequently.

[Ben Ferguson]

I think I met with the President a handful of times during my tenure in White House. I got to 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 is calling shots in the White House. If the White House spokesperson is being shielded from the President of the United States who was operating the Oval Office.

[Ben Ferguson]

Age wasn't an issue for you? For President Biden? No, it was not a concern. 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 future, the voters concerns about President Biden were wrong? Yes.

[James Comer]

He often would confuse names.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do you think it got worse as you knew him?

[James Comer]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Are you sure you're being honest with.

[James Comer]

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 stumble. So physically, what is a cheap fake? 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 infield was fake. Now she's saying, yeah, my White House was broken and I'm switching parties. And was suffering from a cold that really constrained his voice and constrained his. His ability to. 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 the ability to vote for the US to be able to negotiate drug prices with the 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 ever saw. It was clear what he was trying to say. Dealing with everything we have to do with. Look, if we finally beat medical, it.

[Announcer]

Was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired and that took over the autopen. They stole the presidency of the United States.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do you know who the people who were actually operated the auto pen were? I do not. Do you know any of the actual staff who were using the auto.

[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 many executive 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, jz. Did you yourself write this email? I do not believe I did.

[James Comer]

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

[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's 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. 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 tomorrow.

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[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast.