Republicans demand BIDEN's doctor testify about the President’s mental state

Monday, July 08, 2024 - 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, a Republican representing Kentucky, also called on O’Connor to release 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.

He blasted 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 to submit to a cognitive exam amid heightened concerns over his mental acuity.

Biden and his personal doctor

Biden, 81, has faced backlash from the media and Democrats over his fitness for the presidency in the wake of his debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

During the debate, Biden was bumbling his words, freezing up at random times and appearing to lose his chain 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.

Comer said there was inconsistency between White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's statements 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 alleged that O’Connor’s glossy assessment of Biden could’ve been coloured by his past interactions with the president’s brother, James Biden.