Former President Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, stand side-by-side. (Getty Images)
"Hunter Biden’s claim that ‘they gave him Ambien to be able to sleep’ raises serious questions," a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The House Oversight Committee is looking into this as part of its investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions by White House staff."
Ambien, or zolpidem, is a prescription medication for insomnia. It is intended only for short-term use, according to GoodRx. Common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle and joint pain, and double or blurry vision.
JILL BIDEN 'WORK HUSBAND' PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT, DODGES HOUSE GOP COVER-UP PROBE QUESTIONS
The medication can also cause memory problems and grogginess during the day, and more serious and rare side effects can include hallucinations, "abnormal thinking and behavior" and "possible increased risk of dementia in older adults," according to GoodRx.
Biden's former chief of staff and a fixture of his re-election campaign, Ron Klain, is expected to participate in a transcribed interview on Thursday before the House Oversight Committee.
In a letter requesting his appearance, Comer quoted Klain as cutting Biden's debate prep short last year "due to the president’s fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter," adding that Biden "didn’t really understand what his argument was on inflation," citing a POLITICO report from earlier this year.
"If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response," Comer said, arguing that the scope of Klain's responsibilities in his personal and professional capacities "cannot go without investigation."
Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of The New York Times, and Isaac Arnsdor of The Washington Post describe in their new book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," how during the June 2024 debate "Biden’s aides winced as the president started answering the first question."
Former President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that she invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times. Tomasini herself did not answer when Fox News Digital asked if she did so, and her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
"Today, the third witness in our investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions pleaded the Fifth Amendment. There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy," Comer told Fox News Digital.
Tomasini is the third former Biden administration official to come before committee investigators under subpoena, and the fifth to appear overall.
She was meant to appear Friday for a voluntary transcribed interview, but a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital that Tomasini's lawyers had asked Comer to issue a subpoena specifically.
Both prior officials who appeared under subpoena—former White House physician Kevin O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to former First Lady Jill Biden—also invoked the Fifth Amendment.
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Biden's office declined to comment to Fox News Digital about the House GOP probe into his alleged Ambien use.
But a source familiar with the Biden team's thinking regarding the ongoing House Oversight investigation had previously told Fox News Digital that Trump and congressional Republicans are simply seeking "retribution" through a "partisan, coordinated effort."
"It’s an attempt to smear and embarrass," the source said. "And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ [can] prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge."
Fox News' Melissa Ruddy, Aishah Hasnie, Tyler Olson and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-bidens-ambien-claim-triggers-deeper-gop-probe-alleged-cover-up-former-presidents-cognition