Joe Biden’s doctor stalls hearing, cries doctor-patient confidentiality

Ahead of a Wednesday deposition, then-President Joe Biden’s White House physician called for a delay with cries of “doctor-patient confidentiality.”

After obvious warning signs were disregarded about the Democratic leader’s cognitive decline, the American people have been left to wonder about the possible extent of a coverup and who was truly running the show at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four years.

Days away from an attempt to probe further into what was known about the president’s mental health, his White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor sought to postpone his subpoenaed deposition with claims about his “legal and ethical obligations.”

Set to appear before members of the House Oversight Committee weeks after chair Kentucky Rep. James Comer (R) was made to compel the testimony, O’Connor’s attorney, David Schertler, submitted a letter Saturday requesting the questioning be delayed until the week of July 28 or August 4 over a disagreement on what questions could be asked of his client.

“Dr. O’Connor has legal and ethical obligations that he must satisfy and for which violations carry serious consequences to him professionally and personally,” Schertler stated in the letter obtained by multiple media outlets. “We are unaware of any prior occasion on which a Congressional Committee has subpoenaed a physician to testify about the treatment of an individual patient. And the notion that a Congressional Committee would do so without any regard whatsoever for the confidentiality of the physician-patient relationship is alarming.”

The attorney further asserted, “It would be an unnecessary spectacle to require Dr. O’Connor to testify before your Committee next week without any accommodations for the well-established doctrine of doctor-patient confidentiality and to subject himself to potential criminal prosecution for contempt of Congress for doing the right thing — honoring his legal and ethical obligations to a patient.”

Contrary to the claims of the doctor’s legal representation, Comer contended in his June subpoena of O’Connor that issues of doctor-patient privilege “lack merit” because the American Medical Association’s code of ethics is not part of federal law. The AMA requires the sharing of patient medical information if “legally compelled to disclose the information” or “ordered to do so by legally constituted authority,” the subpoena stated.

Likewise, in a statement provided to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Oversight Committee decried the attempt at postponement as little more than “another delay tactic to stonewall the Oversight Committee’s investigation.”

“To the extent that Dr. O’Connor wishes to assert privilege in response to specific questions, the Oversight Committee will follow that process at the deposition,” the spokesperson expressed. “Dr. O’Connor is not permitted to disregard a congressional deposition subpoena because he believes he may be asked questions that, in his view, will implicate privileged information.”

In addition to seeking answers from the former White House physician, the committee had already questioned Biden Staff Secretary Neera Tanden, who testified about her “tremendous” power regarding the use of the president’s autopen, and continued pursuit of answers from former First Lady Jill Biden’s senior adviser, Anthony Bernal.

As Comer was forced to subpoena Bernal who refused a request to testify before Congress, the Oversight Committee chair said, “Now that the White House has waived executive privilege, it’s abundantly clear that Anthony Bernal — Jill Biden’s so-called ‘work husband’ — never intended to be transparent about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and the ensuing cover-up. With no privilege left to hide behind, Mr. Bernal is now running scared, desperate to bury the truth.”

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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