WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Sunday asked President Joe Biden’s doctor to appear for a transcribed interview regarding the president’s medical evaluation.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Dr. In a letter to Kevin O’Connor, he said he tried to implicate the doctor in a series of inquiries Biden made about his relatives’ businesses. Comer, a eminent critic The president’s powers helped lead efforts for a Republican-led impeachment inquiry against Biden that has been inconclusive for months. Republicans have not provided evidence that Biden is engaged in any work criminal actsdespite repeated claims to the contrary.
In the letter, Comer pointed to Biden’s response to a question Friday by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos about whether the president would be willing to take a cognitive test.
“I take a cognitive test every day,” Biden said he answered. “I take that test every day. Everything I do.”
“You have repeatedly declined most interview requests from the media, and now the Committee is turning to you for answers about your independence amid mixed and confusing messages from the White House about the president’s ability to do his job,” Comer said. letter.
The letter also pointed to initially conflicting reports about whether Biden had passed a physical since February.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre initially told reporters on Wednesday that Biden had not had a medical examination since February. Hours later, Biden told a group of governors during a meeting that he had been checked by a doctor after the debate and said everything was fine. to sources.
“The statements from the White House press secretary and President Biden appear to be contradictory, and the Committee is currently trying to understand the extent of your role in the White House,” Comer said. “Given your ties to the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand that you are capable of providing accurate and independent opinions on the president’s fitness to serve.”
In the letter, Comer also demanded that O’Connor provide documents and communications related to the president’s brother, James Biden. company the chairman has long sought to address the financial conduct of the Biden family.
The Chair asked O’Connor to contact staff by July 14 to schedule an interview.
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.
O’Connor was brought in as the president’s physician a few days before Biden’s term. He began to serve As Biden’s doctor in 2009.
O’Connor said after Biden’s daily physical in February in assessment the president “fully fulfills all his obligations without any exceptions or concessions.”