The U.S. Navy has reportedly removed Rear Admiral Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the United States Congress and the Supreme Court, amid an investigation into alleged misconduct.
Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman broke the story late Wednesday, noting that Monahan has held the post since 2009 and that an Inspector General report is expected to be made public later this week.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) immediately connected the removal to the COVID-era power plays that defined the Pelosi speakership.
“Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the Capitol, is part of the deep Congress,” Massie wrote. “He endorsed and gave false credibility to Pelosi’s ridiculous mask mandate on members of Congress, which I ignored and was fined for doing so.”
Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the Capitol, is part of the deep Congress. He endorsed and gave false credibility to Pelosi’s ridiculous mask mandate on members of Congress, which I ignored and was fined for doing so.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) November 12, 2026
After Monahan reinstated indoor mask requirements on the House side, 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 pointing out that the rules were not driven by science. At the same time, Monahan himself was photographed briefing Republican members while maskless, the classic “rules for thee, not for me” double standard that defined the era.
House Republicans, including Massie, staged protests by walking maskless onto the Senate side of the Capitol, where Monahan’s mandate did not apply. Fines piled up against members who simply refused the theater.
By early 2022, Monahan quietly reversed course and made masking optional just in time for President Biden’s State of the Union address.
Monahan’s influence extended far beyond COVID mandates.
In August 2023, The Gateway Pundit reported that Monahan had declared then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell medically fit to continue his duties after the Kentucky Republican experienced another troubling episode in which he appeared to freeze during a public appearance.
In her August 31, 2023, article, Cristina Laila reported on Monahan’s assessment, which attributed McConnell’s episodes to possible lightheadedness associated with concussion recovery and dehydration.
Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.
You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft’s articles here.
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