Biden White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor is asking the House Oversight Committee to delay his scheduled Wednesday testimony, citing concern over doctor-patient privileges.
O’Connor’s lawyer sent a letter Saturday to the committee asking that his client’s testimony be postponed to either the last week of July or the first week of August “to reach an accommodation that will protect the very substantial privilege and confidentiality interests of Dr. O’Connor and former President Biden,” according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press.
O’Connor’s testimony is part of the committee’s investigation into the mental acuity of Joe Biden as U.S. president from 2021 to 2025, particularly his use of an “autopen” to sign legislation into law.
Republicans who control Congress and others have cited information and instances that appear to show or suggest Biden’s mental decline while in office was concealed by staffers who in fact ran the White House and used the electronic pen to sign legislation they wanted.
Biden, 82, has denied claims that he was not in a right state of mind during his time in office.
A spokesperson for the GOP-led Oversight committee said it will follow the House’s deposition guidelines, allowing for witnesses to claim privilege on each question and for the committee chairman to make a ruling on each claim.
However, the committee holds that O’Connor is not allowed to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information.
O’Connor’s attorney said in the letter that the committee is refusing to “accommodate to any degree Dr. O’Connor’s objections” over protecting privilege.
He called the committee’s decision “unprecedented” and “alarming” and warned that it threatened broader principles around medical privacy. Additionally, he said O’Connor could face “serious consequences” for violating his obligations as a doctor, including losing his medical license.
Committee Chairman James Comer said in his subpoena of O’Connor in June that physician-patient privilege claims under the American Medical Association’s code of ethics “lack merit” because that code is not part of federal law.
He also argued the committee’s subpoena follows AMA’s requirement that physicians must share a patient’s medical information if “legally compelled to disclose the information” or “ordered to do so by legally constituted authority.”
