Biden's doctor invokes Fifth Amendment in House probe of ex-president's health
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U.S. President Joe Biden takes questions from reporters, after he delivered remarks in the State Dining Room, at the White House on November 09, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Former President Joe Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, refused to answer questions to the House Oversight Committee today, citing the Fifth Amendment and doctor-patient confidentiality.
Why it matters: The committee is investigating Biden's decline while in office, and O'Connor had regular access to Biden during his presidency while publicly attesting to his fitness during the re-election campaign.
What they're saying: The Republican Chairman of the Committee, James Comer (R-Ky.), said afterward that "Dr. O'Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden's health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States."
- O'Connor's lawyers told the committee in an opening statement that President Trump's order of a Justice Department investigation "leaves Dr. O'Connor no choice but to invoke his constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment."
- They added that "we want to emphasize that asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege does not imply that Dr. O'Connor has committed any crime."
- The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, said in a statement: "The only person's health that Republicans care about is Joe Biden's – even as 17 million Americans lose access to affordable health care thanks to their big budget betrayal."
Zoom in: O'Connor initially declined to testify in front of the committee, but Comer subpoenaed him to appear.
- Earlier this week, O'Connor's lawyers tried to postpone the hearing, which Comer denied.
- Some members of the committee were not sure if O'Connor would appear at all.
O'Connor is one of Biden's closest confidantes and has been with him since Biden served as vice president.
- He was also involved in treating Beau Biden's brain cancer before Biden's eldest son died in May of 2015.
Between the lines: In the White House, O'Connor had said he was concerned about Biden's health given the rigors of the presidency, according to the new book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Decision to Run Again."
- He sometimes clashed with other White House aides as he argued for the elderly president to get more rest.
- O'Connor, who has an irreverent sense of humor, would occasionally quip that Biden's staff was trying to kill him, and he was trying to keep him alive.
- At one point, he warned that if Biden had another bad fall, a wheelchair might have been necessary for the recovery.
What's next: Comer is also set to interview several other close Biden aides.
- Jill Biden's White House top aide —Anthony Bernal — abruptly withdrew from his scheduled interview last month in the hours after the Trump White House waived executive privilege.
- Comer has since subpoenaed him to appear.
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional comment and context.
