Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who previously served as the White House physician, chose not to respond to questions on Wednesday regarding Joe Biden’s cognitive health. Instead, he invoked the Fifth Amendment and left a high-stakes congressional deposition without offering any insight.
O’Connor, who has been closely connected to the Biden family for years, departed from the House Oversight Committee session after roughly an hour. As he left, his attorney, David Schertler, addressed reporters with a brief statement: “No comments to press.”
“Dr. O’Connor pleaded the Fifth Amendment,” stated Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky shortly after O’Connor’s exit. “I’m gonna read the first two questions that were asked.”
“‘Were you ever told to lie about the president’s health?’ He pleaded the Fifth Amendment,” Comer recounted. “‘Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duties?’ Again, President Biden’s White House physician pleaded the Fifth Amendment.”
An Oversight Committee spokesperson confirmed that the only answer O’Connor gave was stating his name. The spokesperson also noted that doctor-patient confidentiality would not have prevented him from addressing many of the questions posed.
Calling the situation “unprecedented,” Comer asserted that the physician’s refusal to answer only intensified suspicions of a coordinated attempt to hide the president’s mental deterioration.
In a press release following the deposition, Comer further alleged there had been “a conspiracy to cover up” the mental state of the nation’s 46th president.
“Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again,” he continued. “We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve.”
The committee has already scheduled its next conversation for Friday with Ashley Williams, who once served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations.
Annie Tomasini, who previously held the title of Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff, is slated for an interview on July 18.
According to Comer, O’Connor’s decision to take the Fifth lent further weight to the claims made in the book Original Sin, published in May by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which portrays a group of Biden aides — dubbed the “Politburo” — as the true power brokers within the administration.
The group described in the book included Tomasini, along with several other senior staffers who are also expected to appear before the committee. These include Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff (scheduled for July 24); Steve Ricchetti, who served as counselor to the president (July 30); Mike Donilon, another longtime adviser (July 31); and Bruce Reed, the former deputy chief of staff for policy (August 5).
Anita Dunn, who stepped down from her role as senior communications adviser in August 2024, has agreed to appear for a transcribed interview on August 7.
One of the central questions O’Connor declined to answer was whether he had ever been directed to lie about Biden’s condition — a refusal that has become a flashpoint for critics.
The Trump White House, according to sources, opted not to exercise executive privilege to block any of O’Connor’s responses.
“There’s more and more evidence that comes out every day that would suggest that the president was in a pretty severe mental decline, so we’re going to ask about that,” Comer said ahead of the hearing.
“We can’t have the physician’s office not being truthful about the health condition of the president,” he added, noting that this inquiry is part of a broader probe into who within the administration was permitted to use an autopen for official signatures, including executive orders and pardons.
Schertler, who accompanied O’Connor at the deposition, is a well-known criminal defense attorney who also represented Dr. Anthony Fauci during his testimony before a separate Oversight subcommittee last year focused on the coronavirus pandemic.
{Matzav.com}