GOP Rep Claims 'Conspiracy' as Biden Doctor Pleads the 5th

Former President Biden's former White House physician is refusing to answer questions as part of the House Republican investigation into Biden's health in office. Dr. Kevin O'Connor invoked doctor-client privilege and his rights under the Fifth Amendment during an appearance Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee, his attorneys said, per the AP. Republicans are conducting a sweeping investigation into Biden's actions in office and questioning whether the Democrat's use of an autopen may have been invalid. They have also claimed that some policies carried out by the White House autopen may be invalid if it is proven that Biden was mentally incapacitated for some part of his term.

Biden has strongly denied that he was not in a right state of mind at any point while in office, calling the claims "ridiculous and false." David Schertler, one of O'Connor's lawyers, said in a written statement he prepared for the committee that the doctor would not violate his oath of confidentiality with his patients. He also said the House Oversight committee should hold off on its investigation until Attorney General Pam Bondi concludes an investigation that the Oversight Committee's chair, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said she has launched into the use of the autopen.

"The pending Department of Justice criminal investigation leaves Dr. O'Connor no choice but to invoke his constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment," Schertler said in the statement. Comer said O'Connor's decision not to testify made it "clear there was a conspiracy." "The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O'Connor would rather conceal the truth," Comer said. In a June subpoena of O'Connor, Comer said that claims of physician-patient privilege under the American Medical Association's code of ethics "lack merit" because that code is not part of federal law. He added the AMA requires physicians to share a patient's medical information if "legally compelled to disclose the information" or "ordered to do so by legally constituted authority."