President Joe Biden has removed the White House physician who served during the latter half of his predecessor’s term, opting to replace Dr. Sean Conley with Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Politico reports.
It is not unusual for incoming Presidents to replace the sitting White House physician with someone he is more familiar and comfortable with. Conley, however, became a controversial figure through his treatment of Donald Trump when he had coronavirus, including allowing Trump to return to the White House days after being admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
While Conley was restricted by HIPAA in the amount of information he could release publicly regarding Trump’s condition, his demeanor during Trump’s coronavirus case raised concern that he was withholding vital information about Trump’s health that could impact Trump’s ability to serve in office.
A retired US Army Colonel, O’Connor is an osteopathic physician who is a faculty member at George Washington University. He has served as Joe Biden’s personal physician since Biden was the Vice President in 2009. During his time in the military, O’Connor served in the 82nd Airborne Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the United States Army Special Operations Command.
Conley left the White House with Trump on January 20th. It is unknown what his future position will be.