Former President Joe Biden’s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door deposition on Wednesday. He refused to answer whether he was ever instructed to lie about Biden’s health or whether he believed the president was unfit for office.
In exclusive footage posted by the House Oversight Committee Wednesday evening, O’Connor invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination at least 15 times, according to a 20-minute video excerpt, as committee investigators pressed him on his past assessments of the president’s mental and physical condition.
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
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— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 9, 2025
“Dr O’Connor, did you ever believe the president was unfit to execute his duties as president?” asked House GOP Oversight Committee chief of investigations Jake Greenberg.
O’Connor replied, “On the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based upon the physician-patient privilege and in reliance on my right under the Fifth Amendment.”
“Were you ever told to lie about the president’s health?” O’Connor was asked again, to which he repeated the same line.
O’Connor also declined to say whether he ever believed Biden was unfit to execute his duties as commander in chief, again citing constitutional privilege, among other questions asked of him Wednesday morning.
The physician’s lawyer, David Schertler, also asked the committee to pause its investigation during the pending criminal investigation underway at the Department of Justice that President Donald Trump ordered.
“We believe that the committee should hold its investigation in abeyance until any criminal investigation has been conducted and completed. Nonetheless, the totality of the circumstances surrounding this committee’s investigation leaves Dr O’Connor no choice but to decline to answer questions on two overlapping grounds,” Schertler said. “First, the physician-patient privilege and the physician’s ethical duty of confidentiality require that Dr O’Connor refuse to testify about any aspect of his care and treatment of President Biden. Second, a pending Department of Justice Criminal Investigation leaves Dr O’Connor no choice but to invoke his constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to any questions that might be posed by the committee in this deposition.”
Schertler also said that O’Connor “will not violate the oath of confidentiality for any of his patients,” including Biden.
The deposition followed weeks of efforts by Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to compel O’Connor’s testimony as part of the panel’s investigation into the Biden White House’s handling of the president’s medical condition. Comer has raised concerns that public health disclosures issued by O’Connor may have misrepresented Biden’s condition, especially in light of reports from insiders and the publication of the book Original Sin.
Before O’Connor’s testimony, Comer pointed out that past White House reports were “glowing with how healthy” Biden appeared, despite subsequent revelations of a cancer diagnosis and growing questions about the president’s ability to serve.
O’Connor’s legal team defended his silence, saying he “had no choice” but to decline questions that could violate doctor-patient confidentiality. They argued the deposition presented “unique circumstances” requiring the invocation of both medical privilege and the Fifth Amendment.
Democrats on the committee accused Comer of political theater. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) claimed Republicans were “cherry-picking” facts and said O’Connor followed proper legal advice to protect his medical license.
Comer responded forcefully after the deposition.
“President Joe Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, just pleaded the fifth at his deposition before Congress today,” he said. “It’s now 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.”
BIDEN PHYSICIAN KEVIN O’CONNOR INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT AT HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE DEPOSITION
Comer emphasized that the public is demanding “transparency,” but said “O’Connor would rather conceal the truth. ” He claimed it was especially damning that the doctor refused to answer if he was “told to lie” about the former president’s health and fitness to lead the nation.
O’Connor served as the physician to Biden during his single term in office from January 2021 until January this year. He has been Biden’s primary care physician for 12 years before his presidency.
