The House Oversight Committee questioned President Joe Biden’s physician Kevin O'Connor last month in its probe into Biden's mental decline. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
When asked whether public concerns about Biden's mental acuity were legitimate, however, the source told Fox News Digital that Reed said he believes Americans should not have had any concerns about the ex-president’s mental faculties.
Reed also told investigators that "the president’s communications team anticipated that the issue of a cognitive test would likely be raised" in Biden's interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos following the debate.
"Mr. Reed further explained that President Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, dismissed cognitive tests as 'meaningless,'" the source said.
O'Connor was among the first former White House officials summoned by House investigators, and sat down with them last month after being compelled via subpoena.
But his sit-down lasted less than an hour, with the doctor opting to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering all questions but his name. His lawyers said at the time that was due to concerns about violating doctor-patient confidentiality.
In his own interview Tuesday, Reed also defended the Biden 2024 campaign's preference to hold the debate earlier than typical for a presidential cycle, the source said.
House Oversight and Accountability committee Chairman James Comer is leading the probe (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is probing whether Biden's senior aides worked to cover up evidence of mental decline in the former president, and whether that meant Biden was not making the final decision on executive matters signed by autopen.
Of particular interest to Comer is the myriad of clemency orders Biden signed in the latter half of his presidency, though the former president told The New York Times last month that he was behind every decision.
His allies have also dismissed Comer's probe as purely political.
Fox News Digital reached out to Reed's counsel and lawyers for O'Connor for comment but did not hear back by press time.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-doctor-thought-cognitive-tests-were-meaningless-ex-aide-bruce-reed-told-investigators