Michael Donilon, one of Joe Biden’s closest political allies, is meeting with House Oversight Committee investigators on Wednesday as part of a probe into the use of an autopen during the former president’s administration. The investigation, led by Oversight Chair James Comer, is examining the extent of Donilon’s involvement in White House decision-making during Biden’s final months in office.
Donilon has worked with Biden for over four decades, beginning when Biden was still a senator from Delaware in 1981. A Georgetown-educated political strategist, he played a leading role in both the 2020 and 2024 Biden presidential campaigns. His influence reached a peak during Biden’s last term, with some reports suggesting he was among a tight inner circle of aides running day-to-day affairs at the White House.
He drew public attention after a fiery defense of Biden following the president’s poor showing in the June 2024 debate against Donald Trump. Speaking at Harvard, Donilon criticized the Democratic Party for abandoning Biden so quickly, saying, “Lots of people have terrible debates… usually the party doesn’t lose its mind, but that’s what happened here.” His remarks sparked backlash from other Democrats, including former Obama advisor David Axelrod, who called Donilon’s comments “delusional.”
Donilon’s political résumé stretches far beyond Biden. He was involved in major Democratic victories, including Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential win and Douglas Wilder’s 1989 Virginia gubernatorial campaign. Yet, it is his four-year tenure as senior advisor to Biden—and his continued presence through the chaotic end of the 2024 re-election effort—that has drawn scrutiny from congressional investigators.
Authors Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper referred to Donilon as part of Biden’s “Politburo” in their book Original Sin, a nickname for the small, powerful group around the president. They claimed Biden trusted Donilon’s counsel so deeply that aides joked he could even persuade the president to start a war.
Donilon reportedly earned $4 million for his work on Biden’s 2024 re-election bid. According to The Wall Street Journal, he also served as a crucial link between Biden and his campaign pollsters during the troubled final stretch of the campaign. He was present in Rehoboth Beach when Biden penned the dramatic letter ending his presidential run.
Following the collapse of Biden’s re-election campaign, Donilon accepted a fellowship at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, where he is serving as a Spring 2025 Resident Fellow.
