Biden’s former doctor refuses to answer questions in House Republican probe

WASHINGTON AP President Joe Biden s former White House physician is refusing answer questions as part of the House Republican inspection into Biden s medical 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 explained Republicans are conducting a sweeping assessment into Biden s actions in office and questioning whether the Democrat s use of an autopen in office may have been invalid They have also claimed that certain policies carried out by the White House autopen may be invalid if it is proven that Biden was mentally incapacitated for various 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 alleges ridiculous and false David Schertler one of O Connor s lawyers declared in a written announcement he prepared for the committee that the medical expert would not violate his oath of confidentiality with his patients He also explained the House Oversight committee should hold off on its examination until Attorney General Pam Bondi concludes an probe that the Oversight Committee s chair Rep James Comer of Kentucky noted she has launched into the use of the autopen The pending Department of Justice criminal inquiry leaves Dr O Connor no choice but to invoke his constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to any questions posed by the Committee Schertler mentioned in the declaration Republicans on the Oversight Committee had no immediate comment In a June subpoena of O Connor Comer declared that proposes of physician-patient privilege under the American Therapeutic Association s code of ethics lack merit because that code is not part of federal law He reported the committee s subpoena meets the AMA s own requirement that physicians must share a individual s anatomical information if legally compelled to disclose the information or ordered to do so by legally constituted authority Comer has explained his committee will release a analysis of all its findings after the probe is complete He has issued subpoenas for O Connor and Anthony Bernal former chief of staff to former first lady Jill Biden Last month Neera Tanden former director of Biden s domestic plan counsel gave voluntary testimony Comer has requested testimony from nearly a dozen former senior Biden aides including former White House chiefs of staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients former senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president Ashley Williams President Donald Trump s White House has waived executive privilege a right that protects various communications between the president and staff from Congress and the courts for almost all of those senior staffers That clears the way for those staffers to discuss their conversations with Biden while he was president