Power Move: Biden’s Ex-Physician Hauled to Congress

Former White House Doctor Kevin O’Connor now faces a congressional subpoena over allegations he concealed President Biden’s cognitive decline while potentially profiting from his financial relationship with the Biden family.

Key Takeaways

• House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has subpoenaed Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s personal physician since 2009, for a June 27 deposition after previous voluntary requests were refused.
• The investigation centers on whether Dr. O’Connor’s financial ties to the Biden family influenced his consistently positive health assessments of Biden despite apparent cognitive decline.
• Congressional Republicans are examining if Biden’s cognitive issues led to unauthorized presidential actions, including questions about whether staff used an autopen for official documents.
• Dr. O’Connor and his attorneys have cited medical ethics and Washington D.C. code as justification for refusing to disclose patient information, arguments Comer has dismissed as meritless.
• The subpoena comes amid growing concerns about Biden’s mental acuity that intensified in spring 2024, despite O’Connor’s memo describing Biden as a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male.”

Financial Ties Under Scrutiny

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has escalated his investigation into former President Biden’s health by subpoenaing Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s personal physician during his presidency. The subpoena specifically targets potential financial entanglements between O’Connor and the Biden family that may have compromised the doctor’s medical assessments. Comer’s committee is examining whether these financial relationships led O’Connor to present an artificially positive picture of Biden’s cognitive abilities while serving as White House physician.

“Among other subjects, the Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Biden’s physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President,” Comer said in a letter accompanying the subpoena. “Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people,” said James Comer

O’Connor, who has overseen Biden’s medical care since 2009, repeatedly provided clean bills of health throughout Biden’s presidency, despite growing public concern about the president’s mental acuity. The congressional investigation follows months of observable incidents where Biden appeared confused, disoriented, or unable to complete coherent sentences during public appearances. These concerns intensified in spring 2024, prompting Republican lawmakers to demand transparency about Biden’s true medical condition.

Refusal to Cooperate Prompts Subpoena

The subpoena comes after Dr. O’Connor refused previous voluntary requests for interviews. According to committee documents, the White House actively blocked O’Connor’s testimony regarding his “involvement in the Biden family’s influence peddling racket.” O’Connor’s attorneys have cited Washington D.C. code and medical ethics obligations as reasons for declining to provide information about his patient without consent, creating a standoff with congressional investigators determined to uncover potential deception.

“involvement in the Biden family’s influence peddling racket, but the Biden White House blocked his testimony,” according to committee news release

Comer has flatly rejected these justifications, stating: “These arguments lack merit.” The committee chairman pointed out that congressional testimony differs from court proceedings and that the cited regulations do not prevent O’Connor from responding to a congressional subpoena. This confrontation highlights the tension between medical privacy and congressional oversight, particularly when national security and presidential fitness are at stake. The deposition is scheduled for June 27, setting up a potential showdown over executive privilege and medical confidentiality.

Broader Implications for Presidential Authority

The investigation extends beyond Biden’s personal health to examine potentially unauthorized executive actions during his presidency. President Trump has ordered an inquiry into whether Biden’s aides used an autopen to sign documents without the president’s full knowledge or competence to understand them. This raises serious constitutional questions about who was actually making decisions in the White House and whether certain presidential actions, including pardons and executive orders, could be invalidated if Biden was not mentally capable of authorizing them.

“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden

Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, insisting that he personally made all decisions during his tenure. However, the widening scope of Comer’s investigation suggests persistent doubts about Biden’s cognitive capacity. The committee has now requested testimony from five members of Biden’s inner circle, specifically regarding his mental and physical faculties. O’Connor’s testimony could prove pivotal in determining whether Americans were deliberately misled about their president’s capacity to govern effectively during one of the most challenging periods in recent history.