President Joe Biden, left, and Dr. Kevin O'Connor
The House Republicans’ most reliable conspiracy theorist is trying to make political hay out of President Joe Biden’s bad debate night and the ensuing media feeding frenzy and Democratic bed-wetting. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is demanding an interview with Biden’s doctor, suggesting in his letter that White House physician Kevin O’Connor is part of the Biden “crime family” and is covering up Biden’s health.
No, seriously. Comer writes that the committee is “concerned your medical assessments have been influenced by your private business endeavors with the Biden family,” and that “evidence obtained by the committee shows your [O’Connor’s] and James Biden’s involvement with Americore Health, LLC. James Biden, the President’s brother, used funds from Americore to pay Joe Biden $200,000 as the company was facing financial distress.” Americore Health operates a number of rural hospitals.
He continues, writing that on the “same day James Biden received the $200,000 wire transfer from Americore into his bank account, James Biden wrote a check to his brother, Joe Biden, for $200,000 for a ‘loan repayment.’” Yes, the scare quotes are in the original.
“Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand if you are in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve,” Comer wrote.
In February, O’Connor examined Biden, finding he is a “healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.” O’Connor wrote that Biden underwent “an extremely detailed neurologic exam” and that there were “no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder.” O’Connor has been Biden’s personal doctor since 2009.
Not good enough for Comer, who is now intent on “investigating circumstances surrounding [that] assessment.”
White House spokesperson Ian Sams slammed Comer and the supposed investigation. “Here they go again, pushing their crazy, discredited conspiracy theories in order to score another hit on [Maria] Bartiromo.”
He also suggested that “if extreme House Republicans want to take a look at a White House physician” they’ve got a former one on hand—GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson (or Ronny Johnson, as Trump calls him). Sams helpfully linked a recent Washington Post story about Jackson’s pill-pushing to all and sundry White House staff.
Yes, this latest from Comer is whack and ridiculous, but it’s also an entirely predictable GOP response to Democrats publicly shitting the bed over Biden’s health, and as Markos wrote, their “inability to keep their eye on the ball.”
The longer Democrats feed the traditional media beast with their angst, the more you will see moves like this from the GOP.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.
