House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed former President Joe Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, regarding an investigation into the alleged cover-up of the former president’s cognitive decline.
In a letter addressed to O’Connor, Comer pointed out that in May, the Committee “requested” that O’Connor “appear for a transcribed interview on June 25, 2025, broadly regarding ‘the circumstances surrounding” O’Connor’s February 2024 assessment in which he described Biden as being a “healthy, active, robust 81 year-old male.”
The letter also noted that the Committee has questioned whether O’Connor’s “financial relationship with the Biden family affected” his assessment of Biden’s physical and mental health in order to successfully “fulfill his duties as President.”
“On May 22, 2025, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform request that you—because of your role as former Physician to the President for President Joe Biden—appear for a transcribed interview on June 25, 2025, broadly regarding ‘the circumstances surrounding your assessment in February 2024 that former President Biden was a ‘healthy, active, robust 81 -year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,’” the letter said. “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.”
The letter continues to note that O’Connor “refused the Committee’s request,” and that on June 4, 2025, O’Connor’s “counsel responded to the Committee’s request for testimony” writing that O’Connor was unable to appear for the requested interview due to his “legal obligations” under the provisions of D.C. Code § 14-307, and due to the physician-patient privilege, among other reasons:
On June 4, 2024, your counsel responded to the Committee’s request for testimony. Instead of complying with the Committee’s legitimate request, they wrote that you “cannot appear for the requested interview,” citing (1) your legal obligations pursuant to “the provisions of D.C. Code § 14-407 [sic],” (2) your ethical obligations pursuant to “Principal No. IV of the Code of Ethics of the American Medial Association (AMA),” and (3) the “physician-patient privilege.” These arguments lack merit.
Comer added in the letter that O’Connor’s counsel had “selectively quoted D.C. Code § 14-307,” and noted that the June 4 letter “failed to include the limited venues to which this provision applies.”
“The plain language of this Section is clear: it only limits a physician’s ability to disclose confidential patient information in ‘Federal courts in the District of Columbia and District of Columbia courts,’” the letter explained. “The D.C. Court of Appeals has affirmed this interpretation, stating that the law creates ‘an evidentiary privilege only, and extends no further than the courtroom door.’ Congress is not a court; this Section therefore in no way precludes you from appearing and testifying your role as Physician to former President Biden.”
Breitbart News reported in April that Republicans were reported to be planning to question O’Connor regarding the alleged cover-up of Biden’s decline, while Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have claimed he and other Democrats did not mislead Americans regarding Biden’s cognitive decline.
In February 2023, O’Connor declared Biden to be healthy and “fit for duty” after conducting a physical examination of the president, though the examination “did not include a cognitive test.”:
The exam did not include a cognitive test for the president. Cognition has increasingly become a cause for concern among Democrats and Republicans as he approaches announcing his 2024 candidacy. Should he ultimately run and secure a second term, he will not only be the oldest president in U.S. history but the oldest president in U.S. history to serve two consecutive term.
In July 2024, after Biden’s lackluster performance in the presidential debate against Trump, Comer revealed that the Committee was “concerned” that O’Connor’s medical assessments of the former president may “have been influenced” by his “private business” involvement with the Biden family.
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