Mike Donilon, a top aide to President Biden who cashed in as a highly paid adviser to his suspended 20204 campaign, told House investigators Thursday that Mr. Biden showed no signs of mental decline while in office.
Mr. Donilon, one of the longest-serving Biden aides, provided the testimony in a closed-door interview before investigators on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is examining Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline while in office. He is one of a string of ex-Biden aides summoned to testify in the probe.
Mr. Donilon pushed back against claims by anonymous ex-staffers that the former president was mentally checked out and that a “politburo” of aides ran the White House.
“What I saw, day in and day out, was a leader who was deeply engaged and in command on critical issues, both at home and abroad,” Mr. Donilon told investigators in a prepared statement.
He was paid $4 million to serve as a top adviser to Mr. Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign and told investigators Thursday he would have received an additional $4 million if Mr. Biden had won a second term, a source familiar with his testimony told The Washington Times.
“This raises concerns about his self-interest in getting President Biden to the finish line and may have influenced his judgment about President Biden’s cognitive state in the last weeks of the campaign, even after the disastrous debate performance,” the source said.
Mr. Donilon insisted Mr. Biden was no different than any president aging in office.
“But he also continued to grow stronger and wiser as a leader as a result of being tested by some of the most difficult challenges any president has ever faced,” he said.
Mr. Donilon had worked with Mr. Biden since 1981, including as a counselor to Mr. Biden when he was vice president and as the chief strategist for Mr. Biden’s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns.
Mr. Donilon told investigators that Democrats overreacted to Mr. Biden’s disastrous presidential debate performance against President Trump. It ultimately forced Mr. Biden to drop out of the race.
He did admit that Mr. Biden’s performance wasn’t as commanding as he had been, and he would stumble over words. At the same time, Mr. Donilon told investigators the former president’s communications skills improved throughout his time as president.
Mr. Donilon “was frustrated and knew it was difficult to get past the visuals of President Biden that people were seeing,” the source said.
