President Joe Biden vowed on Monday to stay in his race for re-election, even as more Democrats called for his withdrawal over the weekend and a key Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives called for an investigation into the president’s doctor.
In a letter Before Democrats in Congress, Biden argued that calls for him to drop out of the presidential race – just 119 days before Election Day – ignored the results of the Democratic primaries and conventions he won handily, and said he remained the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.
The two-page letter ended with a call for party unity and an end to the public back-and-forth among Democrats over whether Biden should drop out of the race. Earlier, his performance at the June 27 debate had shaken the confidence of some senior Democrats in his ability to close his deficit to Trump in the polls.
“The question of what to do next has been debated at length for over a week,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time to stop. We have one job. And that is to defeat Donald Trump.”
Comer seeks interview with Biden’s doctor
Congress returns Monday from a week-long recess for the Fourth of July, after members of both parties continued to press the question of Biden’s suitability for office for several days.
Republicans also pushed for more details. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer called on Sunday for Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to undergo a transcribed interview about his assessments of Biden and O’Connor’s business dealings with James Biden, the president’s brother.
The Kentucky Republican said Biden and the White House have sent conflicting messages about the president’s recent medical examinations.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Biden had not been examined by a doctor since his routine physical in February.
But Biden told a group of Democratic governors the same day that he had been “examined by a doctor” following the debate, Comer wrote.
After the debate, Biden said he had a chilly, trying to explain his deep, croaking voice.
Comer also questioned whether O’Connor could accurately represent Biden’s health status or whether he was compromised by a conflict of interest through his involvement with James Biden’s rural health care company, Americore. James Biden has testified before the committee that he sought O’Connor’s legal counsel for the company.
The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment on Comer’s request.
More and more Democrats are calling for withdrawal
Over the holiday weekend, other Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives also joined the list of those calling on Biden to resign rather than run for re-election.
In a written statement On Saturday, Angie Craig of Minnesota became the first congresswoman from a contested district to call on the president to drop out of the race. Craig is the fifth congresswoman to publicly call for the president to withdraw.
According to media reports, other members make private phone calls.
Four Democrats who lead House committees – Jerry Nadler of New York on the Judiciary Committee, Adam Smith of Washington on the Armed Services Committee, Mark Takano of California on the Veterans Affairs Committee and Joe Morelle of New York on the House Administration Committee – said during a leadership conference call on Sunday that Biden should resign. According to reports.
Other Accounts reported Other participants in the discussion, including Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Jim Himes of Connecticut, also rejected Biden’s continued candidacy. Wild later told She expressed concerns about Biden’s electability to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
In an impromptu call to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, Biden again insisted he was staying in the race and urged any opponents to “challenge” him at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.
Biden, who secured enough delegates through primaries and party conventions to secure the nomination, would be the clear favorite in a contested party convention. Rules of the Democratic Party The pledged delegates are supposed to “reflect to the best of their knowledge and belief the views of those who elected them,” but are not legally required to vote for their pledged candidate at the party convention.
