Bussiness
Republicans demand Biden doctor testify about president’s mental state, business machinations
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor appear for testimony over President Biden’s mental state and overseas business dealings.
Comer (R-Ky.) also called on O’Connor to fork over relevant documents on his dealings related to the president’s younger brother James Biden and gave him a week to make contact with committee staffers in a letter sent out Sunday.
“After a concerning debate performance by President Biden against former President Donald Trump on June 27, journalists have rushed to report on what Americans have seen plainly for years: the President appears unwell,” Comer wrote in the letter.
The Kentucky Republican zeroed in on O’Connor’s health summary from February, in which he insisted that “Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
Comer also highlighted concerns that O’Connor has not recommended Biden submit to a cognitive exam amid heightened concerns over his mental acuity.
Biden, 81, has faced a reckoning from the media and Democrats over his fitness for the presidency in the wake of his debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
During that debate, Biden was seen bumbling his words, freezing up at random times and appearing to lose his train of thought. Biden has since contended that he was “exhausted,” but insisted that he’s up to the job and won’t drop out.
When asked why he hasn’t taken a cognitive exam, Biden told ABC News on Friday that, “No one said I had to,” and “I get a full neurological test every day” as president.
Some such as CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta have suggested that Biden should take one.
Comer highlighted what he considered an inconsistency between White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre — who said on July 3 that Biden has not had any medical exams since his February checkup — and a report from NBC that the president told Democratic governors last Wednesday he had been “checked out by a doctor after the debate and everything was fine.”
“Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand if you are in a
position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve,” Comer chided.
Comer also mused that O’Connor’s rosy assessment of the commander-in-chief could’ve been colored by his past interactions with the president’s brother, James Biden.
What to know about the fallout from President Biden’s debate performance:
Back in February, James Biden told the Oversight and Judiciary Committees that he interacted with O’Connor who helped put him in touch with others during his time providing “services” for the since-defunct rural hospital operator Americore Health.
“I had gotten through his — as Vice President, his personal physician was Colonel Kevin O’Connor,” James Biden said in the interview, per a transcript. “There is an outcry for a solution for post-traumatic stress disorder. … So he introduced me to a team.”
For months, Comer has zeroed in on how James transferred $200,000 to his brother in 2018 on the same day he received the same amount from Americore.
At the time, James was indicating he could help the struggling firm produce a Middle Eastern investor, according to records unearthed by Comer. Americore filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
Comer also took note of public reporting indicating that O’Connor participated in a meeting alongside Hunter and James Biden with the president of a hospital being purchased by Americore.
“The Oversight Committee is concerned your medical assessments have been influenced by your private business endeavors with the Biden family,” Comer further wrote to O’Connor.
Comer is seeking all documentation O’Connor has about Americore and James Biden. He requested O’Connor contact his staff by July 14.
The Post contacted the White House for comment.