Comer Subpoenas Biden’s White House Physician as Part of the Expanding Probe of Former President’s Mental Decline

The House Oversight Committee is ramping up its investigation of President Biden’s mental decline and the alleged coverup. The former White House physician, Kevin O’Connor, has now been subpoenaed by the committee as part of its ever-expanding probe to get answers about Mr. Biden’s health. Shortly after taking office in 2021, Mr. Biden tapped Dr. O’Connor to be his physician, as well as the head of the White House medical unit, during his presidency. He was previously the chief physician to the vice president when Mr. Biden held the office between 2009 and 2017. Prior to that work, Dr. O’Connor served as a physician in the Bush White House for two years after a distinguished 22-year career in the United States Army. After leaving the White House in 2017, the Bidens retained Dr. O’Connor as their family physician until Mr. Biden returned to elected office. According to a bombshell book from journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Dr. O’Connor warned about Mr. Biden’s physical decline, including telling staff that the president may soon need a wheelchair. He even once reportedly quipped to White House aides that they were trying to “kill” the then-president because they refused to heed some of his medical advice. Mr. Comer says the doctor’s testimony is necessary to uncover details about Mr. Biden’s decline and the coverup that allegedly was deemed necessary in order to secure a second term at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. “The Committee seeks information about your assessment of and relationship with former President Biden to explore whether the time has come for Congress to revisit potential legislation to address the oversight of presidents’ fitness to serve pursuant to its authority under Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment,” Mr. Comer writes to Dr. O’Connor. “This investigation also continues to inform the Committee about whether additional reforms or enhancements to financial disclosures of White House employees … are necessary,” the chairman adds.The subpoena itself states that Dr. O’Connor must appear for a closed-door interview with the Oversight Committee on June 27. Should he fail to comply, the House has the ability to hold him in criminal contempt in order to try to force him to appear, or face prosecution by the Department of Justice. Dr. O’Connor did not immediately respond to an email from the Sun seeking comment about the subpoena. Mr. Comer previously requested that Dr. O’Connor appear for a transcribed interview with the committee in May, though that invitation was declined. His attorneys, in a letter sent to the committee on Wednesday, claimed that Dr. O’Connor was barred from talking about Mr. Biden’s physical and mental well-being for a number of reasons. The lawyers cited local Washington, D.C., law, the American Medical Association’s code of ethics, and the principle of doctor–patient confidentiality. The Oversight Committee quickly responded in its letter to Dr. O’Connor Thursday announcing the subpoena. It points out that the Washington, D.C., law in question barring physicians’ testimony refers only to speaking in federal court — not before Congress. The ethics code that was cited states that testimony must be supplied if the doctor is “legally compelled” by a “legally constituted authority,” such as Congress. On the question of doctor–patient confidentiality, the Oversight Committee says that does not apply because it is “not recognized” in the Federal Rules of Evidence.The former top White House doctor is only the latest in an ever-growing list of Biden aides who are now being called to testify before the Republican-controlled House. Just this week, Mr. Comer asked five of Mr. Biden’s top White House aides — who were, according to Messrs. Tapper and Thompson, referred to as the “politburo” — to appear before his committee for interviews. On Wednesday, Mr. Comer sent letters to five top staffers in the Biden White House to discuss the president’s health. The five aides being asked to provide answers to the committee are two senior advisors, Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; a deputy chief of staff, Bruce Reed; a presidential counselor, Steve Richetti, and the first chief of staff, Ron Klain.

Comer Subpoenas Biden’s White House Physician as Part of the Expanding Probe of Former President’s Mental Decline

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