House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has called for White House physician Kevin O’Connor to appear to testify about President Biden’s mental health and overseas business dealings.
Sen. Comer (R-Ky.) also called on O’Connor to turn over relevant documents related to her dealings with the president’s brother, James Biden, and gave her a week to contact committee staff in a letter sent Sunday.
“Following concerns about President Biden’s performance in the June 27 debate between former President Donald Trump, journalists rushed to report what the American public has clearly seen for years: that the President appears to be in poor health,” Comer wrote in the letter.
Biden, a Kentucky Republican, highlighted O’Connor’s health summary from February, insisting that Biden is “a healthy, active and robust 81-year-old man who remains physically capable of successfully executing the duties of the presidency.”
Comer also highlighted his concern that O’Connor has not encouraged Biden to undergo cognitive testing amid growing concerns about his mental capacity.
Biden, 81, has faced harsh criticism from the media and Democrats over his fitness to be president following his performance in a debate with former President Donald Trump.
During the debate, Biden stuttered, froze at random times and appeared to lose his train of thought. He claimed afterward that he was “exhausted” but insisted he was up to the task and had no plans to step down.
Asked Friday why he hadn’t undergone cognitive testing, Biden told ABC News, “Nobody’s saying I have to,” and that “I undergo a full neurological exam every day as president.”
Some, including CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, have suggested Biden should get the vaccine.
Comer pointed to a discrepancy between White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s statement on July 3 that Biden had not had a medical check-up since his February physical and an NBC report that said the president told Democratic governors last Wednesday that “he saw his doctor after the debate and everything was fine.”
“Given your ties to the Biden family, the committee believes you
“They are not in a position to provide an accurate and independent review of the president’s ability to perform his duties,” Comer said.
Comer also suggested O’Connor’s optimistic assessment of the commander in chief may be influenced by her past interactions with James Biden, the president’s brother.
What to know about the impact of President Biden’s debate performance:
In February, James Biden told the Oversight and Judiciary committees that he had interacted with O’Connor, who helped him make connections with others, during his time providing “services” to the now-defunct rural hospital operator Americore Health.
“As vice president, I met with his personal physician, Col. Kevin O’Connor,” James Biden said in the interview, according to a transcript. “There was a growing demand for solutions for post-traumatic stress disorder. So he introduced me to his team.”
For months, Comer has been trying to uncover how James transferred the $200,000 to his brother on the same day he received the same amount from Americore in 2018.
At the time, James suggested he could help struggling Americore Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in 2019, attract Middle Eastern investors, according to records uncovered by Comer.
Comer also drew attention to published reports that O’Connor, along with Hunter and James Biden, attended meetings with the president of a hospital that Americore was seeking to acquire.
“The Oversight Committee is concerned that your medical examination may have been influenced by your private business activities with the Biden family,” Comer further wrote to O’Connor.
Comer is seeking all documents O’Connor has regarding Americore and James Biden, and has asked her to contact her staff by July 14.
The Washington Post has reached out to the White House for comment.
