The military doctor who has treated lawmakers and Supreme Court justices for more than a decade is no longer in that post.
According to The Gateway Pundit, Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman reported late Wednesday that the Navy has removed Rear Admiral Brian Monahan as attending physician to Congress and the Supreme Court. Sherman, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, said Monahan is under investigation for alleged misconduct and that an inspector general report is expected later this week.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, quickly tied the removal to Monahans role in the COVID-era mask rules on Capitol Hill. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the Capitol, is part of the deep Congress, Massie wrote. He endorsed and gave false credibility to Pelosis ridiculous mask mandate on members of Congress, which I ignored and was fined for doing so.
After Monahan reinstated indoor mask requirements on the House side, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi directed Capitol Police to arrest staff and visitors who refused to comply, while members faced fines. Pelosi called then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a moron for arguing the rules were not driven by science, even as Monahan was photographed briefing Republican members while maskless.
House Republicans, including Massie, staged protests by walking maskless onto the Senate side of the Capitol, where Monahans mandate did not apply. Fines continued to accumulate against members who refused what they regarded as political theater.
By early 2022, Monahan reversed course and made masking optional just ahead of President Bidens State of the Union address. The timing reinforced conservative criticism that the policy followed political convenience rather than consistent medical judgment.
Monahans influence reached beyond pandemic rules. In August 2023, he declared then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell medically fit to continue his duties after the Kentucky Republican appeared to freeze during a public appearance, an assessment that cited possible lightheadedness associated with concussion recovery and dehydration.
Monahan, a Navy rear admiral, has held the attending physician post since 2009, after President Barack Obama nominated him to the role and rank. He previously served as director of hematology and medical oncology at the Navy Medical Center and is a member of the American College of Physicians.
Additional reporting said a civilian deputy serving under Monahan was also fired. The nature of the alleged misconduct has not been disclosed, and the Navy has not issued a detailed public account of the investigation.
What the inspector general will conclude, and whether officials will describe the allegations, remains unanswered. Monahan has not issued a public response, and the Navy has not announced who will succeed him in the post.
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