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FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., appears to be shooting down a request by a key player in the former Biden administration to suspend his probe into whether ex-President Joe Biden’s top allies “covered up” evidence of his mental and physical decline.

Former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s attorneys released a statement after his appearance before House investigators on Wednesday, calling for Comer’s probe to pause while a parallel federal investigation was ongoing.

Comer told Fox News Digital it was “another tactic to avoid testifying about the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline.”

“Dr. O’Connor doesn’t want to give the American people the truth about President Biden’s cognitive decline, and his attorneys are throwing out every excuse to see what sticks. We requested his testimony over a year ago, but the Biden White House blocked him from appearing before the Oversight Committee,” Comer said. “Now that we’ve compelled him to come forward and the White House waived executive privilege, Dr. O’Connor has resorted to pleading the Fifth Amendment to keep the truth hidden.”

BIDEN AIDES PUSHED FOR EARLY DEBATE TO SHOW OFF BIDEN’S ‘STRENGTH’, EXPOSE TRUMP’S ‘WEAKNESS,’ BOOK SAYS

Comer argued there was “longstanding precedent” for simultaneous probes between Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Kentucky Republican subpoenaed O’Connor to appear before his committee, which is also investigating whether any Biden administration decisions were signed off via use of an autopen, and whether it was with the then-president’s knowledge.

Biden allies have pushed back, arguing the president was the final sign-off on every decision.

But unlike a previous deposition with ex-Biden aide Neera Tanden, which lasted hours behind closed doors, O’Connor’s sit-down lasted roughly 30 minutes before he and his lawyers left the room.

“No comments to press,” one of his lawyers said in response to Fox News Digital’s shouted question.

A video of the deposition shared by the House Oversight Committee shows O’Connor invoking the Fifth Amendment for all questions after his name.

WHITE HOUSE WAIVES EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGES FOR BIDEN DOCTOR KEVIN O’CONNOR IN COVER-UP PROBE

His lawyers insisted he did so out of concerns that House investigators would press him to violate patient-physician privilege. An Oversight Committee aide responded, “Doctor-patient objection would have meant he would have stayed and answered questions that didn’t implicate such privilege. Instead, he took the Fifth to all and any potential questions.”

“This Committee has indicated to Dr. O’Connor and his attorneys that it does not intend to honor one of the most well-known privileges in our law – the physician patient privilege. Instead, the Committee has indicated that it will demand that Dr. O’Connor reveal, without any limitations, confidential information regarding his medical examinations, treatment, and care of President Biden,” the attorney statement said.

“Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of a physician, could result in revocation of Dr. O’Connor’s medical license, and would subject Dr. O’Connor to potential civil liability. Dr. O’Connor will not violate his oath of confidentiality to any of his patients, including President Biden.”

Pointing out that a similar investigation was launched by the DOJ, they added, “We believe that the Committee should hold its investigation in abeyance until any criminal investigation has concluded.”

Pleading the Fifth Amendment was not an admission of any guilt, the lawyers said.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who made a surprise appearance at the interview, similarly defended O’Connor while citing the DOJ probe.

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“As someone who has served as a criminal defense attorney and actually been in courtrooms, it’s kind of astounding to hear someone say, if you invoke the Fifth Amendment, that is only because you are guilty,” Crockett said.

“We have a constitutional right that anyone who may be under fire can invoke. And unfortunately, with this rogue DOJ, it has decided that it wants to run a contemporaneous investigation, criminal investigation, involving the doctor – I think he did what any good lawyer would advise him to do.”

But Comer’s Thursday statement to Fox News Digital signals he will press on with the probe.

O’Connor’s lawyers pointed Fox News Digital to their prior statement when reached for comment on Comer’s remarks.

Biden’s physician described the ex-president as being in “perfect health”

‘BACK TO WORK’ Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley rushes to defend ex-president just hours after doc refuses to testify on ‘cognitive decline’

ASHLEY Biden has broken her silence online with a bold post defending her father, Joe Biden, hours after his former doctor refused to answer questions about the ex-president’s health.

The show of support came as the closed congressional hearing reignited speculation over Joe Biden’s mental fitness during his final year in office.

5 Ashley Biden defended her father online just hours after his former doctor refused to answer questions regarding his declining health Credit: Instagram/ashleyblazerbiden

5 Ashley posted a photo of her dad captioned “Back to work…” Credit: Instagram/ashleyblazerbiden

The hearing took place in Washington, DC, where Republican lawmakers grilled Dr. Kevin O’Connor behind closed doors about his clean bill of health for Biden before a shocking cancer diagnosis.

Ashley, 44, shared a story on Instagram of her father deep in thought in what looked like a home office, writing simply, “Back to work…”

The social worker and reform advocate has publicly defended her dad before, and her latest message didn’t go unnoticed.

“Even out of office, President Biden is still working. He’s awesome,” Democrat influencer Harry Sisson wrote on X.

Her post followed hours after Dr. O’Connor invoked both physician-patient confidentiality and his Fifth Amendment rights when asked if he was ever told to lie about Biden’s health.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said O’Connor refused to answer the first two questions of the hearing.

The questions were whether he was ever instructed to lie, and whether he believed Biden was fit to carry out his duties.

“I think that this adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up,” Comer said.

Ashley’s post appeared to be a response to the growing firestorm over her father’s health, which has become a major talking point following recent book releases.

A new book titled 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America claims there were serious concerns inside the Biden White House.

Joe Biden’s doctor REFUSES to testify to Congress about ex-president’s health in behind-closed-doors hearing

The drama builds on earlier claims in Jake Tapper’s book Original Sin, where Biden was accused of forgetting the names of staff and failing to recognize George Clooney at an event.

Yet during this time, physicals released by Dr. O’Connor described Biden as being in “perfect health.”

In early May, Biden hit back on The View, calling the reports “false.”

Just days later, his office confirmed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones.

Timeline of Biden’s failed re-election bid President Joe Biden endured weeks of calls to step aside before he announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Here are key developments leading up to his decision. June 27: Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump sparks calls for him to step aside. His voice was raspy and he trailed off several times after having already endured questions about his age and mental capacity following a series of blunders at public events. July 2: Polls after the debate indicate that Trump is pulling ahead. Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett was the first Democratic congressman to publicly urge Biden to drop his bid for re-election, and big Democratic donors issued the same call a day later. July 5: Biden does a live TV interview with George Stephanopoulos where he tries to quell fears about his age and debate performance. He called the debate “bad night” and said he was under the weather and “exhausted.” July 10: Vermont Senator Peter Welch becomes the first senator to call for Biden to drop out. July 11: Biden refers to Ukrainian President Zelensky as President Putin at a NATO event. July 13: Trump is shot at a campaign rally by a wannabe assassin. His popularity and favorability rating soared after he was seen bloodied on stage but walked off with a fist in the air, telling the crowd to “fight!” July 17: California Representative Adam Schiff and a series of other Democrats call for Biden to step aside. Even former President Barack Obama tells allies that Biden’s path to victory has “greatly diminished.” Biden tests positive for Covid-19 hours after saying he would consider ending his bid if he were diagnosed with “some medical issue.” July 19: Biden insists he will continue campaigning in his first statement since Obama’s U-turn, despite reports that he would decide to drop out by the weekend. July 21: Just before 2 pm, Biden announces he is stepping aside in the 2024 election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ashley also posted a beach selfie with her parents last month, writing, “I am so grateful. Too grateful to be angry about all the bulls–t.”

That post was interpreted as another clapback to mounting criticism of her dad’s physical and mental decline.

The GOP-led Oversight Committee has been ramping up its investigation into Biden’s fitness, demanding transparency around use of the presidential autopen.

5 Ashley’s post appeared to be a response to the growing firestorm over her father’s health Credit: Getty

They claim the device may have been used to sign official documents when Biden was not of sound mind.

Trump has even declared that Biden’s last-minute pardons should be voided because of autopen use.

During the hearing, O’Connor’s attorney David Schertler said revealing anything would breach medical ethics and could cost the doctor his license.

He added that the Justice Department is already looking into Biden’s cognitive condition and argued that Congress should stand down until charges are decided.

In June, Biden’s former Domestic Policy Council chief Neera Tanden also appeared before the committee and denied any cover-up.

Meanwhile, Jill Biden’s former top aide has also been subpoenaed as the investigation digs into who knew what, and when.

Comer insists the public deserves answers.

“The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. The American people have a right to know,” he said.

5 Ashley, a social worker and reform advocate has publicly defended her dad before Credit: AFP

Fox News’ Bill Hemmer’s sarcastic 4-word verdict – and it’s bad news for Biden aides

Host of Fox’s America’s Newsroom Bill Hemmer gave a sarcastic 4-word verdict following White House doctor’s testimony on Capitol Hill regarding Biden’s cancer diagnosis as he slams former Biden aides

Bill Hemmer calls out White House Dr. O’Connor (Image: Fox )

Fox News host Bill Hemmer gave his loaded opinion during the July 10th segment of America’s Newsroom, which saw the host criticize White House doctor Dr. Kevin O’Connor following his testimony over Biden’s cancer diagnosis.

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Alongside co-host Dana Perino, Hemmer reflected on a clip live from behind closed doors where O’Connor continuously chose to plead the fifth (which he is entitled to do) during his case in the ‘”cover-up probe,” as labeled by Fox News.

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O’Connor chose to “respectfully decline” to speak on the matter.

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Jon Stewart mocks Trump for making Jeffrey Epstein list disappear after Musk claims READ MORE:

Reacting to the clips, Hemmer said, “And so it went on for several minutes in a closed-door interview with former President Biden’s house doctor at the White House, Kevin O’Connor.”

He then added, “That speaks for itself.” The segment was titled by the network, ‘Biden’s Doctor Dodges Questions.’

“He did not answer almost every question proposed to him,” Hemmer continued sarcastically, before referring to the questioning as a “complete lack of cooperation,” saying that O’Connor “was hiding behind the fifth amendment.’

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Dr. O’Connor decided to plead the fifth (Image: Fox )

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley joined in to discuss the legality of O’Connor’s lack of testimony, clarifying that it was completely legal for him to do so. He went on to explain that the White House is not seeking to harm O’Connor, but to “get to the answers.”

Hemmer then displayed a montage of videos from Biden aides that defended the condition of his cognitive decline during his time in office. “What about the public impression left by not answering these questions? …all you’re doing is adding more fuel to the fire,” the host said.

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Turley went on to clarify that it’s unlikely criminal charges will arise as a result of this case, but that answers are needed regarding whether or not the Biden administration was actively covering up Biden’s health status during his first term and the following election season.

Joe Biden’s health has been a hot topic

O’Connor was subpoenaed by GOP chairman James Comer as part of a Trump administration-led investigation into Biden’s mental capabilities and the use of a presidential autopen while finishing his time in office.

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When questioned by the GOP majority staff if he believed Biden was able to fulfill his duties as president, O’Connor responded, “On the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based on the physician patient privilege and in reliance on my right under the Fifth Amendment of the constitution. I am not a lawyer, and I must follow my lawyer’s advice in this matter.”

By Dave Andrusko

According to POLITICO, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former President Biden’s personal physician, “refused to testify in a closed-door interview as part of the House GOP probe into Biden’s mental acuity and whether his inner circle sought to conceal his limitations from the public.” Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney went to write “O’Connor Wednesday morning asserted doctor-patient privilege and his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to a statement from his attorneys.”

In response, House Oversight chair James Comer offered his conclusion:

“It’s clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden’s cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment. The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O’Connor would rather conceal the truth. Dr. O’Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden’s health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States. Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again. We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve.”

To put it mildly, Dr. O’Connor is in a pickle, in light of “the voluminous admissions after the election that everyone knew Biden was cognitively incapacitated while in office,” as Ed Morrissey wrote.

The evidence of Biden dramatic decline keeps pouring in. Writing for the New York Post, Kendall White and Josh Christenson explain

WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden’s senior staff would “joke” about him giving “vastly different accounts” of how much time he’d spent with Chinese President Xi Jinping — even as some aides suggested he take a cognitive test to dispel speculation about his mental fitness, according to a bombshell book out Tuesday. “Sometimes it was thirty-six hours. Other times it was seventy hours. Or maybe it was ninety-some hours,” the authors added. “There was a joke among senior staff about how many hours [Biden] had actually spent with Chinese President Xi Jinping because he often provided vastly different accounts,” write Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf in ‘2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.’” Biden repeatedly claimed while in office that he had “spent more time with [Xi Jinping] than any world leader,” even saying he “traveled 17,000 miles with him in China and around the United States” when serving as Barack Obama’s vice president. In November 2022, Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler mockingly awarded Biden a “bottomless Pinocchio” rating for repeating the fabrication at least 20 times.

The book goes on “Aides saw how Biden’s mannerisms – digressing during his speeches, mixing up details, rambling — had been exacerbated by age and were perceived by voters.”

Former President Biden’s personal physician pleaded the 5th Amendment and cited physician-patient privilege during a deposition with the House Oversight Committee Wednesday. Dr. Kevin O’Connor did not answer whether he was ever told to lie about the president’s health and whether Biden was fit to be president.

The deposition was part of a House Oversight Committee investigation into Biden’s mental fitness and the potentially unauthorized use of the autopen to sign pardons and executive orders.

“It’s clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden’s cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment,” Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said.

Republicans contend O’Connor’s lack of cooperation “all but confirmed” that White House employees covered up President Biden’s decline.

O’Connor answered questions by reading the following statement: “On the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based on the physician-patient privilege and reliance on my right under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution. I’m not a lawyer and I must follow my lawyer’s advice in this matter.”

WATCH O’CONNOR TESTIFY HERE:

🚨 EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Joe Biden’s White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor, PLEADS THE FIFTH and REFUSES to answer if he was ever told to lie about Biden’s health or whether he believed Biden was unfit to execute his duties as president.

What are they hiding? WATCH THE DEPOSITION 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/4OvvCfpLoQ — Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 9, 2025

His lawyer, David Schertler, explained that Dr. O’Connor would assert both privileges for all questions asked during the deposition.

Schertler said the committee indicated that it would be willing to reveal confidential information about the medical examinations, treatment and care of President Biden.

“Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of any physician,” Schertler told the committee. “It could also result in the revocation of Doctor O’Connor’s medical license and could subject him to civil liability.”

Democrats on the committee said they understood that he could not violate doctor-patient confidentiality and that if he answered questions, he could be in breach of his legal and ethical obligations to his patient, potentially suffering grave professional and personal consequences.

Republicans have also called for the testimony of senior members of the press office, including Karine Jean-Pierre, Ian Sams, Andrew Bates and Biden’s Chief of Staff, Jeff Zeints.

“President Biden’s inner circle repeatedly told the American people that he was ‘sharp as ever,’ dismissing any commentary about his obvious mental decline as ‘gratuitous.’ They fed these false talking points to progressive allies and the media, who helped perpetuate that President Biden was fit to serve,” Comer said.

The Justice Department is conducting a parallel investigation into the use of the auto-pen. Republicans believe the Biden White House used a machine that can make signatures to sign important documents, such as pardons and executive orders, that the president may not have personally approved. Presidents, including Trump, use the machines. Schertler said Congress should halt its investigation until the criminal probe is complete.