If an infantry company commander had concerns about the mental or physical fitness of one of his platoon leaders, he could ask a military doctor to evaluate him and report his findings to the commander. The doctor couldn’t assert a doctor/patient privilege or medical confidentiality rules because the fitness of military officers to perform their duties is vital to the effectiveness of the unit. That’s why there’s no doctor/patient privilege in either federal law or military law.
But what if the one with questionable mental or physical abilities is not a platoon leader but the commander-in-chief? Can the doctor refuse to disclose the president’s medical condition? Are the national security implications of the president’s fitness for duty less important than a platoon leader’s? That’s the question that is headed to a showdown between Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former President Joe Biden’s White House doctor, and Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Why Joe Biden’s Doctor Can’t Legally Refuse To Testify About Biden’s Dementia While President
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