Trump administration waives executive privilege for former Biden aide in mental acuity probe

The Trump administration on Tuesday waived former Biden White House Staff Secretary and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden's executive privilege over testimony in a House probe into former President Joe Biden's mental acuity while in the Oval Office.

Tanden is one of several former Biden administration officials expected to testify in the House Oversight probe, which investigates whether the previous administration covered up Biden's mental decline and his use of an autopen on official controversial documents. 

Trump's deputy counsel Gary Lawkowski told Tanden in a letter on Tuesday that the president gave her permission to give unrestricted testimony in the probe due to the "extraordinary nature" of the investigation, per Politico.

“In light of the unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest, and therefore is not justified,” Lawkowski wrote. 

The former aide gave her hours-long testimony behind closed doors, but criticized the investigation for focusing on the last White House instead of the current administration, the outlet reported.

Tanden testified that as a White House staff secretary she could direct autopen signatures to documents, and that she did not have any reason to believe that other people in the White House gave the orders instead of Biden.

The former aide is the first Biden official to testify. Other advisors expected to testify include Former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, and Former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady Anthony Bernal.

Bernal is expected to testify on Thursday, according to the Daily Wire.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. .