Monahan led the Office of the Attending Physician since 2009
Rear Adm. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, has resigned while the Pentagon’s inspector general investigates allegations of misconduct against him, according to U.S. officials.
The allegations against Monahan center mainly on a toxic work environment, on dispensing medications to lawmakers and their staff without prescriptions, and on a lack of oversight of controlled substances, the officials said.
The resignation came roughly a year after the Pentagon watchdog and the Navy opened probes into Monahan, the officials said. Punchbowl reported earlier that Monahan had been removed from his post amid an investigation. Details from the Pentagon investigation are expected to be released as early as Friday, one of the officials said.
The Office of the Attending Physician provides medical care to members of Congress and their staff, as well as Supreme Court justices. Monahan had held the post since 2009. The office has always been led by a Navy physician, and Monahan, who led it for that period, is a two-star admiral.
Monahan has kept a low profile, which is typical of the job, but he drew scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he played a central role in counseling lawmakers on rules and practices related to testing, social distancing and masks during the outbreak.
The Office of the Attending Physician was created in December 1928, after it took hours for a doctor to arrive following a House lawmaker’s death and two others’ collapse.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) told reporters Thursday that it was his understanding that Monahan had resigned. Thune referred questions to the Senate Armed Services and Rules committees.
The Pentagon, the Navy and Monahan didn’t respond to requests for comment, and the Senate Armed Services and Rules committees didn’t respond to requests for comment either.