GOP Chairman Urges Medical Board to Investigate Biden’s Physician Over Alleged Cover-Up
The house Oversight Committee is seeking disciplinary action against President Biden’s former physician, Kevin O’Connor, alleging a “coordinated” effort to conceal the former president’s mental decline. Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) has formally requested the DC Board of Medicine investigate O’Connor, potentially leading to the revocation of his medical license.
“The Committee has found that President Biden’s aides coordinated a cover-up of the president’s diminishing faculties,” Comer stated in the four-page letter. The committee alleges O’Connor was “derelict in his duty” as a physician, potentially through “issuing misleading medical reports, misrepresenting treatments, [or] failing to conform to standards of practice.”
O’Connor, as head of the White House medical unit, oversaw Biden’s annual physicals but refrained from public discussion of the results. In a July 2024 interview, he described the president’s mental health as “excellent” despite admitting no extensive cognitive tests were performed. This statement followed Biden’s decision to suspend his re-election campaign after a widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27, 2024.
The inquiry was prompted, in part, by reports that Biden met with a Parkinson’s disease expert at the White House in January 2024. This meeting occurred as concerns about Biden’s physical and cognitive state were mounting, fueled by instances of verbal stumbles and physical missteps throughout his presidency.
Further scrutiny arose from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report, which declined to pursue charges related to classified documents but characterized Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Following the report’s release, Biden publicly defended his mental acuity, though he reportedly mixed up the names of foreign leaders during a press conference.
Congressional Republicans have also raised concerns about the white House’s use of an autopen signature for late-stage pardons, alleging an abuse of presidential authority.
During questioning by the Oversight Committee, O’Connor refused to answer whether he was instructed to misrepresent the president’s health or if he believed Biden was fit to execute his duties. Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, a former physician to President Barack Obama, indicated that answering these questions would not have violated doctor-patient privilege. However, O’Connor’s attorneys, David Schertler and Mark macdougall, maintained that both privilege and ethical obligations prevented him from testifying about his care of President Biden.
The committee’s report accuses O’Connor of “recklessly never conducting a cognitive exam of the president,” a claim disputed by some White House aides who stated the matter was discussed after the 2024 debate. O’Connor’s final physical report, released in February 2024, stated Parkinson’s disease had been ruled out, but the detailed results were never made public.
Neurologist tom Pitts, speaking to NBC News in July 2024, suggested Biden’s “shuffling gait” and “rigidity” indicated otherwise.
Comer’s letter to the DC Board of Medicine asserts that if O’Connor failed to meet the standard of care,intentionally misled the public,or falsified health reports,his medical license should be revoked. “Dr. O’Connor’s lack of openness…is untenable for a licensed medical professional tasked to diagnose,heal,and protect the official in the highest elected office,” Comer wrote.
The DC Board of Medicine is empowered to discipline physicians who make false reports, violate standards of conduct, or negatively impact the public’s perception of the profession. Both Dr. Anderson and Dr. O’Connor are currently listed as faculty members at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
O’connor’s legal team emphasized that the ongoing Department of Justice criminal investigation necessitated his invocation of the Fifth Amendment, but clarified that asserting this right does not imply guilt. Representatives for Anderson, the DC Board of Medicine, and O’Connor have not yet responded to requests for comment.
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