President Joe Biden’s former White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, has declined to answer questions in a House Oversight Committee investigation into the President’s health while in office.
Dr. O’Connor invoked doctor-client privilege and his Fifth Amendment rights during an appearance before the committee on Wednesday. His attorneys stated that he would not violate his oath of confidentiality to his patients.
The House Oversight Committee, currently under Republican control, is conducting a broad investigation into President Biden’s actions in office. They are examining whether the President’s use of an autopen may have been invalid, and if certain policies implemented via autopen could be nullified if it were proven that the President was mentally incapacitated at any point during his term.
President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, calling them “ridiculous and false.” The White House maintains that the President has been of sound mind throughout his tenure.
David Schertler, one of Dr. O’Connor’s attorneys, prepared a written statement for the committee. In it, he suggested that the House Oversight Committee should postpone its investigation until Attorney General Pam Bondi concludes her inquiry into the autopen usage, as claimed by Committee Chair Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.
Rep. Comer has argued that claims of physician-patient privilege under the American Medical Association’s code of ethics “lack merit” as this code is not part of federal law. He contends that the committee’s subpoena meets the AMA’s requirements for disclosure of medical information.
The committee has requested testimony from nearly a dozen former senior Biden aides. The former Trump White House has waived executive privilege for most of these staffers, potentially allowing them to discuss their conversations with President Biden during his time in office.
The facts, as we now know them, raise important questions about the balance between congressional oversight and medical privacy. As this situation continues to unfold, it will be crucial to monitor how these competing interests are reconciled.
