Newou can listen to Fox News articles!
Sources familiar with the lawsuit say former White House doctor Kevin O’Connor previously dismissed cognitive tests as “meaningless,” he told House investigators Tuesday.
Reid, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House for policy, is the ninth member of former President Joe Biden’s inner circle to sit with his House Supervisory Committee lawyers.
Sources familiar with his interviews said Reid attributed Biden’s performance in the disastrous 2024 debate against Donald Trump to the former president’s stud sound.
However, his meandering, tired, seemingly tired demeanor surprised both Democrats and media experts on the stage with Trump. It encouraged Biden to drop out of the race, both public and private pushes by leftist lawmakers.
Comer rejects Biden Doctor’s bid to pause with the cover-up probe: “Dropping all excuses”
The House Oversight Committee last month questioned President Joe Biden’s doctor Kevin O’Connor’s investigation into Biden’s mental decline. (Manuel Barth Senetta/AP)
But when asked whether public concerns about Biden’s mental vision were legal, sources told Fox News Digital that Reid believes Americans should not be concerned about the former president’s mental abilities.
Reed also told investigators: “The president’s communications team is likely to raise cognitive testing issues.”
“Reid further explained that President Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, dismissed the cognitive test as “meaningless,” the source said.
O’Connor was one of the first former White House officials to be summoned by House investigators, and sat with them last month after being forced through a subpoena.
However, his sit-in took less than an hour and the doctor chose to call the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering all questions except his name. His lawyer said at the time that it was due to concerns about violating the confidentiality of doctors and patients.
In his own interview Tuesday, Reid also defended the Biden 2024 campaign’s preference for debating earlier than typical presidential cycles, sources said.
The former Deputy Chiefs of Staff of Policy Lead is the ninth former governing aide who appears before the House Oversight Committee. (Getty Images)
“In an interview, Reed said the decision to have an early discussion was a deliberate strategy to advance early voting and the Olympics. He emphasized that the campaign’s push for early debate has nothing to do with President Biden’s age concerns,” the source said.
An excerpt from the opening statement to Reed’s investigators was obtained by Fox News Digital via a second source familiar with the interview, indicating that it highlighted Biden’s cognitive abilities.
“I can only speak to my own observations, but I had the advantage of working with President Biden almost every day with the presidency. Despite his age, President Biden maintained a relentless work ethic, embracing complex policy issues, and approaching decisions that involve hard work and deliberation,” Reid said.
Longtime aide Biden says he was standing to earn up to $8 million if the president was re-election
Reed also stated Biden “will regularly grill staff on topics until we reach the limits of our knowledge, allowing us to determine if we are confident in our advice.”
“From the first day of the White House until the very end, President Biden governed the same way he followed there by trusting his own values and instincts,” Reid said.
“There’s nothing harsher than the presidency. President Biden asked tough questions, made tough decisions, and guided his country into challenging times for the nation and the world.”
House Observation and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer leads the probe (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Chairman James Kommer. is investigating whether senior Biden aides worked to cover up evidence of the former president’s mental decline and whether that means Biden has not made a final decision on the enforcement issue signed by Autopen.
Of particular interest to Kommer are the countless generous orders Biden signed later in the presidency, but the former president told the New York Times last month that he was behind every decision.
His allies also dismissed Comer’s investigation as purely political.
Fox News Digital reached out to Reid’s lawyers and lawyers for O’Connor for comments, but did not respond by press time.
Elizabeth Elkind is the main reporter of Fox News Digital’s reporting in the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen on Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow me on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to Elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
Source link