Outside medical experts and some Democrats have raised questions about Biden’s cognitive health after the president’s faltering performance in last month’s debate with rival Donald Trump, in which Biden struggled to explain some of his major policies, stumbled over several answers and appeared to lose his train of thought at times. In the letter to O’Connor, Comer cited other reports of Biden’s recent mental health issues, such as allegations that the president is sometimes confused or listless in private meetings.
Noting that O’Connor has declined media interview requests, Comer also asked her to submit to a transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee.
“The Committee now turns to you to provide answers regarding your independence given the conflicting and confusing messages coming from the White House regarding the President’s ability to do his job,” Comer wrote.
The White House, which has called Biden’s debate performance exceptional and said he remains alert and energetic in private situations, did not immediately respond to a question about whether O’Connor would testify. The Republican-led committee has previously used subpoenas when people have refused to comply with its requests to testify.
O’Connor, a retired Army colonel and current member of the White House Medical Unit, has been Biden’s personal physician since 2009. The doctor of osteopathic medicine has also treated other members of the Biden family, including the president’s son, Beau Biden, who died of cancer in 2015. In his February assessment of Biden, O’Connor wrote that the president received “an extremely detailed neurological exam” that was “reassuring,” with no findings consistent with a disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.
The White House declined to make O’Connor available to answer questions about its assessments of the president.
Some of O’Connor’s fellow doctors have questioned her decision not to order a cognitive test for the president.
Three former colleagues of O’Connor’s in the White House medical unit, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe confidential relationships, told The Washington Post last week that Biden’s performance in the debate suggested to them that the president should undergo a cognitive exam.
Ira Monka, president of the American Osteopathic Association and a friend of O’Connor, also told the Post he believes Biden’s performance should prompt an initial cognitive exam to see if further testing is needed.
In his letter, Comer also cited testimony from James Biden, the president’s brother, who told the committee that O’Connor provided him with advice while he worked with Americore Health LLC, a company that operated rural hospitals and is currently in bankruptcy proceedings.
“The Oversight Committee is concerned that your medical evaluations may have been influenced by your private business activities with the Biden family,” Comer wrote, asking O’Connor to turn over all documents in her possession relating to Americore and James Biden.
The White House has rejected suggestions that O’Connor’s medical advice was influenced by relationships with James Biden.
“Here they go again, pushing their crazy and discredited conspiracy theories,” White House spokesman Ian Sams wrote in an email. “If the hardline House Republicans want to take a look at a White House doctor, here’s an idea of where to start,” he added, sharing a link to an article about former White House physician and current Republican congressman Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.).
An email sent to the email address listed on the Americore website was returned to the sender. A phone call to the phone number listed on the Americore website resulted in voicemail.
Michael Kranish contributed to this report.
