On July 7 Congressman James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to President Biden’s personal physician to demand that he explain to the committee why he has not requested a test on the mental fitness of the President, according to the Washington Post. Dr. Kevin O’Connor has been treating President Biden since 2009, and has also treated other members of the Biden family. Congressman Comer also asked if the doctor, who has a close personal relationship with the President and First Lady, can provide an “accurate and independent” assessment of the President. The letter asks for background information about the doctor’s physical exam of the President in February 2024 at which time the doctor reported that Biden was a “robust” 81-year-old. Others, during this same period, found the President to have “mental lapses” and to sometimes seem “confused or listless” at private meetings.
Some have contended that First Lady Jill Biden has worked with the O’Connor to shield the President from these questions and that they have not been candid with the American people. Since at least the issuance of the February report by Special Counsel Robert Hur, who referred to President Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” the White House has adopted an aggressive tactic to counter, deny, and even belittle any such claim.
Unscripted public events are being eliminated, and the duration of interactions with the press is being shortened. At meetings, aides almost always offer the President note cards to remind him of key policy points that he wants to make. Teleprompters are being installed even at small private events. President Biden now wears tennis shoes and uses shorter stairs to enter Air Force One, to lower the chance of tripping. Jill Biden often holds her husband’s hand to help him enter or exit a stage. Access to the President has become increasingly restricted, and the President is more isolated and dependent upon a shrinking circle of senior advisors. This restricted access was partly started during the pandemic, but it has continued, and has upset long-time friends, political donors, and allied legislators.
Republicans have said that the media has colluded with the White House to conceal the extent of the problem, and many Democrats have said that the lack of White House transparency and candor has left the party in a weakened electoral position. White House staff report that it is a topic which they are afraid to address candidly, even among friendly coworkers.
