Biden’s White House doctor pleads the Fifth Amendment, refuses to testify at a closed-door House hearing on Biden’s mental health
Former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor appeared before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door session on Wednesday, but declined to answer questions as Republicans escalated their probe into Joe Biden’s health and fitness during his presidency.
The committee had sought O’Connor’s testimony amid renewed scrutiny of Biden’s mental sharpness and the events leading up to his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. At the same time, former President Donald Trump launched a federal investigation last month into whether “certain individuals conspired to mislead the public about Biden’s mental condition and unlawfully carried out the duties of the presidency.”
O’Connor, represented by attorneys David Schertler and Mark MacDougall, refused to answer the panel’s questions by invoking doctor-patient confidentiality and his Fifth Amendment rights.
In a statement provided to the committee, O’Connor’s attorneys said that “given the totality of the circumstances surrounding this Committee’s investigation,” their client had no choice but to remain silent. They stressed that invoking the Fifth should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing: “Dr. O’Connor has not committed any crime.”
In a separate statement, the attorneys pointed to former President Trump’s own use of the Fifth Amendment during a 2022 deposition before the New York attorney general.
Wednesday’s testimony came after Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a letter last month compelling O’Connor to appear. Comer cited the physician’s prior public assessment of Biden, including a February 2023 memo in which O’Connor described the then-president as a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male” who was “fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
Following the closed-door session, Comer criticized O’Connor’s decision to remain silent, calling it “unprecedented.”
“I think this adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up,” Comer told reporters. “Americans deserve transparency. I think everyone wants the truth.”
He added that the committee plans to continue its investigation and that additional witnesses will be called to testify.
“Most people plead the Fifth when there’s potential criminal exposure, and that’s what it looks like here,” Comer claimed.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), a member of the Oversight Committee, defended O’Connor’s decision. Speaking to reporters, she said, “With this rogue DOJ now conducting a criminal investigation involving the doctor, he did what any good lawyer would advise: protect himself.”
“I don’t understand why we keep fixating on the past,” Crockett added. “When Joe Biden was in the White House, the country wasn’t spiraling. It’s spiraling now.”