Republicans are seeking information about a venture that Dr. Kevin O’Connor discussed with James Biden before the president was elected.
Before Dr. Kevin O’Connor was appointed White House physician at the beginning of the Biden administration, he discussed a business venture with the president’s brother James Biden, but the doctor ultimately received no compensation, Mr. Biden’s lawyer said.
The discussions revolved around James Biden’s involvement with a health care company called Americore, which was looking to expand a network of hospitals in underserved rural areas of the United States.
Republicans have seized on the episode to suggest that Dr. O’Connor might have had incentive to minimize issues related to President Biden’s health. The White House rejected the speculation, with a spokesman calling it “ridiculous and insulting.”
In his current role, Dr. O’Connor produced letters each of the three years following Mr. Biden’s physicals that attested the president was healthy and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.” The assessments have come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks as Mr. Biden’s decline has become more apparent, particularly after his feeble performance in last month’s debate against former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Representative James R. Comer, a Kentucky Republican who is chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter this week asking Dr. O’Connor to turn over documents related to James Biden and Americore, and to submit to a transcribed interview with committee staff.
The White House dismissed Mr. Comer’s effort to draw a link between Dr. O’Connor’s statements about the president and his consultation with James Biden.
“Suggestions that he has offered his guidance and transparent medical assessments based on anything other than his expertise as a doctor is insulting to someone who has given so much to this country and has a broad, bipartisan reputation for integrity and service,” Ian Sams, a White House spokesman, said in an email.
Mr. Sams praised Dr. O’Connor’s 22-year Army career — including service in Afghanistan and Iraq — and noted that he had served both Democratic and Republican presidents.
The White House declined to comment on Dr. O’Connor’s work when he was outside the government, which is the period covered by his discussions with James Biden.
Though James Biden lacked experience in hospital administration, Americore turned to him to help increase business, according to testimony he gave to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees in February as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president.
The engagement began in mid-2017, after Joseph R. Biden, Jr. left the vice presidency, according to Politico.
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At the time, Dr. O’Connor, who had grown close to the Biden family while serving as the physician to Mr. Biden during his vice presidency, had become his personal doctor once he left office.
James Biden consulted with Dr. O’Connor about an idea for winning contracts related to the Department of Veterans Affairs, James Biden suggested to congressional investigators, according to a transcript.
Mr. Biden described the idea as “one component in terms of filling these hospitals,” and suggested that Dr. O’Connor had connections that could help.
“He introduced me to a team,” Mr. Biden said, describing a lunch meeting arranged by Dr. O’Connor with a woman who “ran a group that would go on the military bases, and they would screen for post-traumatic stress disorder and other related illnesses.”
Mr. Biden said he proposed “some sort of a joint venture” to do the work, describing it as a huge market because veterans’ and rural hospitals were jammed with patients who were not receiving treatment for these conditions.
Paul J. Fishman, a lawyer for James Biden, said in a statement that his client had “a longstanding interest in ensuring veterans receive best-in-class care for PTSD,” and that he sought Dr. O’Connor’s advice on best practices.
Mr. Fishman said that “there was never an effort to secure contracts from the Department of Veterans Affairs.” Dr. O’Connor, he said, “was not in business with Jim” and was not paid for his consultation.
Mr. Biden received $641,000 from Americore, though the company characterized $600,000 as loans, according to subsequent court filings.
The joint venture does not appear to have proceeded, and Americore filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid lawsuits and a reported federal investigation.
A trustee overseeing the company’s liquidation sued Mr. Biden in 2022, accusing him of failing to repay the loans. He later agreed to pay $350,000 to the trustee to settle the lawsuit, according to a court filing.
The lawsuit asserted that Mr. Biden secured the loans “based upon representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections.”
No evidence has emerged that the president was involved in the venture.
In his congressional testimony, James Biden downplayed having referred to his brother’s name when discussing business with Americore executives.
“I mean, you know, I may have mentioned my brother’s name on occasion, but I never did it in the, you know — what you’re inferring is that I tried to use it as a lever or influence,” Mr. Biden said.
