Dr. Kevin O’Connor, President Joe Biden’s longtime physician, declined to answer questions during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. O’Connor’s decision to plead the Fifth Amendment came in response to inquiries about Biden’s cognitive health and whether White House staff used autopen signatures to approve major executive actions in his name.
The deposition, which lasted about an hour, was part of an expanding congressional investigation into concerns over Biden’s ability to perform his presidential duties. Questions surrounding Biden’s condition have intensified in recent weeks following his decision to step out of the 2024 presidential race after a widely criticized debate performance.
O’Connor’s legal team maintained that their client would not break physician-patient confidentiality and cited a “pending” criminal investigation by the Department of Justice as the reason for invoking the Fifth. “Dr. O’Connor would not violate his oath of confidentiality to his patients,” the attorneys stated, referring to the president.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who issued the subpoena compelling O’Connor’s testimony, condemned the refusal. “It’s now clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden’s cognitive decline,” Comer said. He added that O’Connor refused to answer whether he had been instructed to lie about Biden’s health or whether the president was capable of performing the duties of his office. Comer said the committee would continue interviewing former aides to uncover the full scope of what transpired.
The deposition follows testimony from former Biden officials, including Neera Tanden, who served as Staff Secretary and Domestic Policy Council Director. Tanden denied any wrongdoing and characterized the investigation as politically motivated. Democrats on the committee echoed that view, with Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) calling the proceedings “an extraordinary waste of time.”
However, the investigation has gained momentum in light of mounting evidence and public scrutiny. Trump has ordered a separate inquiry into the use of autopen signatures and raised questions about the legality of executive actions allegedly signed without Biden’s direct involvement. Senate Republicans have launched their own parallel investigation into the president’s mental fitness.
In a statement responding to the probe, Biden dismissed the allegations. “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” he said. “This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.”
Yet new revelations, including the release of audio from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with Biden and an upcoming book detailing concerns about his health, have kept public attention on the issue. The DOJ’s silence about the nature of its criminal investigation only adds to the cloud of uncertainty.
When the personal physician to the president refuses to speak before Congress, it raises unavoidable questions. For a country that entrusts one individual with vast constitutional authority, the public has every right to demand clarity about who is truly in charge. Silence from key figures fuels distrust—and the longer those questions go unanswered, the deeper the damage to national confidence in executive leadership.
