No answers: Biden's doctor invokes Fifth Amendment and refuses to testify before the House of Representatives

Dr. Kevin O'Connor, President Joe Biden's former personal physician, pleaded the Fifth Amendment Wednesday during his interview with the House Oversight Committee, leaving key questions about the former president's ability to perform his duties unanswered. The questioning, scheduled to last several hours, ended abruptly in less than an hour.

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) reported to the media that O'Connor refused to answer even the most basic questions, such as whether she was ever asked to lie about the president's health or whether she believed Biden was fit to perform his duties. O'Connor declined to answer both, invoking constitutional protection against self-incrimination. "Once again, President Biden's White House physician invoked the Fifth Amendment. This is unprecedented, and I think it adds fuel to the fire of suspicion that there was a cover-up," Comer said.

The doctor-patient privilege argument

Dr. O'Connor's lawyers defended the decision not to cooperate, arguing that the committee seeks to violate physician-patient privilege, one of the most basic legal protections in the U.S. system. In a statement, they noted that answering the questions posed would have involved divulging confidential information about the president's treatment and condition, which could expose the physician to professional sanctions and civil liability.

"Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of a physician," they warned. "Dr. O'Connor will not violate his oath of confidentiality to any of his patients, including President Biden."

The Republican-majority committee has been investigating whether top officials close to the president covered up signs of a possible mental and physical deterioration during his tenure. The president's allies deny those allegations.

Comer asserted that the invocation of the Fifth Amendment may have been evidence to the contrary. He also argued that "most people invoke the Fifth when they have criminal liability. And so that's what would appear on the surface here." He added that the committee is "going to continue to move forward" with its investigation, which includes more interviews with other witnesses.