Former Biden Aide Andrew Bates Discusses Conversations on President's Health and Age

Testimony on Conversations Regarding President Biden's Health and Age

• 📌 Andrew Bates, former Senior Deputy Press Secretary, testified before the House Oversight panel regarding conversations about President Biden's health, age, or ability to be president.
• 💡 Bates confirmed conversations with Hunter Biden, stating they were primarily political observations related to podcast interviews post-presidency.
• 🗣️ He also confirmed conversations with Annie Thomasini, initially about President Biden's cancer diagnosis and later about media coverage and criticism related to his age and performance.

Discussions with White House Staff and Officials

• 💬 Bates discussed President Biden's age and mental acuity with Anita Dunn, briefing her on media coverage and inquiries.
• 🤝 He also spoke with Mike Donan about media coverage of a book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, and Donan would attest to the President's high performance.
• 🏛️ Conversations with Steve Rashetti were similar to those with Mike Donan, often involving the President's legislative agenda and how to respond to media inquiries about age or health.
• 📝 With Neera Tanden, Bates discussed congressional redistricting and her experiences working on policy with President Biden, particularly in the context of reporter questions about his work ethic and abilities.

Nature of Conversations and Information Flow

• 📰 Bates clarified that his conversations with officials like Dunn, Donan, and Rashetti were often prompted by media inquiries, where he would relay reporter questions and seek input on how to respond.
• ❓ He would ask questions that relayed reporter inquiries, seeking input on political strategy and responses to attacks related to the President's age or health.
• 🎯 The focus was primarily on how to politically respond or push back against media narratives concerning the President's age and health, rather than direct inquiries about his underlying capacity.