Ex-White House Doctor Refuses Questions in G.O.P. Inquiry on Biden's Mental Acuity
The doctor, Kevin O'Connor, cited both physician-patient privilege and his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to a statement that one of his lawyers read to the House Oversight Committee at the start of his scheduled closed-door deposition.
Dr. O'Connor, who served all four years as Mr. Biden's doctor in the White House, had been subpoenaed by Republicans on the oversight panel who are investigating whether Mr. Biden and his aides concealed mental deficiencies that made him unable to perform presidential duties. The inquiry includes questions about whether Mr. Biden's staff abused an autopen, a device routinely used by presidents to put their signatures to formal documents, to illegally carry out official actions in his name.
Presidents have for decades used an autopen to sign all manner of documents, including major legislation; doing so is legal as long as a president authorizes it. President Trump and his allies have been stoking a theory that Mr. Biden suffered from severe age-related decline that left him incapable of making presidential decisions at all, making any action taken in his name via the device legally invalid.
In a statement, Representative James Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the Oversight chairman, blasted Dr. O'Connor for refusing to cooperate and suggested he was trying to hide something.
'It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment,' he said. 'The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O'Connor would rather conceal the truth.'
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