Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor declined to answer questions Wednesday during a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. O’Connor pleaded the Fifth Amendment to questions regarding his time with Joe Biden in the White House and his health while in office. “Earlier today, Dr. Kevin O’Connor asserted the physician-patient privilege, as well as his right under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in declining to answer questions from the staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding his service as Physician to the President during the Biden Administration,” a statement from O’Connor’s legal counsel said, according to The Hill. “On the advice of his legal counsel, Dr. O’Connor refused to answer questions that invaded the well-established legal privilege that protects confidential matters between physicians and their patients. His assertion of his right under the Fifth Amendment to decline to answer questions, also on the advice of his lawyers, was made necessary by the unique circumstances of this deposition,” the statement added. “President Joe Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, just pleaded the fifth at his deposition before Congress today,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) 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. 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,” he continued. President Joe Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, just pleaded the fifth at his deposition before Congress today. 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… — Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) July 9, 2025 More from The Hill: According to a written draft of a statement delivered inside the deposition room, O’Connor’s lawyer, David Schertler, said the committee indicated that “it does not intend to honor one of the most well-known privileges in our law — the physician patient privilege …. 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.” Schertler also noted President Trump has directed the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into Biden’s mental acuity while in office, arguing the Oversight panel should pause its investigation until any criminal investigation concluded. And Schertler said O’Connor’s decision to assert his Fifth Amendment privilege “does not imply that Dr. O’Connor has committed any crime.” Asked about doctor-patient confidentiality before heading into the interview, Comer told reporters: “I don’t believe that he can hide behind doctor-patient confidentiality, because this is the president of the United States, and people expect the White House physician to be truthful and transparent about the president of the United States’ health.” A source clarified that O’Connor did not plead the fifth due only to doctor-patient privilege, and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights for every answer, aside from stating his name, even questions that would not have implicated doctor-patient privilege. “Kevin O’Connor, Joe Biden’s White House physician, pled the Fifth to all questions—except his name—during his deposition. He’s covering up what could be our nation’s biggest scandal. Even radical Democrats agree: Dr. O’Connor’s refusal to answer questions is not good for Joe,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) commented. Kevin O’Connor, Joe Biden’s White House physician, pled the Fifth to all questions—except his name—during his deposition. He’s covering up what could be our nation’s biggest scandal. Even radical Democrats agree: Dr. O’Connor’s refusal to answer questions is not good for Joe. pic.twitter.com/DMaKVX92jO — Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) July 9, 2025 Fox News noted: The House Oversight Committee has been investigating whether Biden’s former top aides covered up evidence of his mental and physical decline while in office. Biden’s allies have denied such allegations. But Comer suggested to reporters that O’Connor’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment could have been evidence to the contrary. “Most people invoke the fifth when they have criminal liability. And so that’s what would appear on the surface here,” he said. “We’re going to continue to move forward. Obviously, I think his actions today speak loud and clear.” But O’Connor’s lawyers wrote in their statement, “We want to emphasize that asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege does not imply that Dr. O’Connor has committed any crime. In fact, to the contrary, as our Supreme Court has emphasized: ‘One of the Fifth Amendment’s basic functions is to protect innocent men who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.'” Meanwhile, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who made a surprise appearance at the interview and was the only lawmaker there, save for Comer, defended O’Connor’s use of the Fifth Amendment. “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.