Biden’s Doctor Takes the Fifth Amendment

Kevin O'Connor is not the first former staffer to decline to answer a House committee’s questions about the former president’s mental fitness in office.

In a still from a video, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, President Joe Biden’s physician, departs a House Oversight Committee hearing on July 9, 2025. US Network Pool/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Biden White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor invoked the Fifth Amendment as he declined to answer questions during his closed-door testimony on July 9 before the House Oversight Committee about President Joe Biden’s mental acuity during his presidency.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), criticized O'Connor for not answering questions about Biden’s mental state during his presidency, which critics have said led to the use of an autopen for his signature. White House staffers are alleged to have used the autopen without the president’s knowledge or authority.

“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. The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O’Connor would rather conceal the truth,” Comer said in a statement.

“Dr. O’Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden’s health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States. Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again.”

Comer said the committee will interview additional White House alumni about Biden’s mental acuity during his term in office, a topic of controversy, especially during his reelection campaign, which Biden ended following a June 2024 debate against President Donald Trump.

Comer has sent letters to former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, former Special Assistant to the President Ian Sams, former senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, and former White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, asking them to testify before the committee.

“President Biden’s inner circle repeatedly told the American people that he was ‘sharp as ever,’” Comer said in a June 27 statement, accusing them of “dismissing any commentary” about allegations over whether Biden was fit to serve and feeding “false talking points to progressive allies and the media, who helped perpetuate that President Biden was fit to serve.”

“We must hear from those who aided and abetted this farce,” he said.

The committee interviewed Neera Tanden, who led the Domestic Policy Council in the Biden White House, on June 24. Her testimony, like the others, will not be released to the public until the committee completes its interviews, according to Comer.

Tanden said there was “absolutely not” an effort to cover up any alleged condition of Biden.

O'Connor is not the first one to decline to answer the committee’s questions about Biden’s mental fitness in office.

Anthony Bernal, who was an assistant to the president and a senior adviser to former First Lady Jill Biden, has declined to testify before the committee.

“Now that the White House has waived executive privilege, it’s abundantly clear that Anthony Bernal— Jill Biden’s so-called ‘work husband’—never intended to be transparent about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and the ensuing cover-up,” Comer said in a June 25 statement.

“With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth.”