Biden had procedure done at Walter Reed Medical Center as
part of his annual physical, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a
statement.
"As was the case when President George W. Bush had the
same procedure in 2002 and 2007, and following the process set out in the
Constitution, President Biden will transfer power to the Vice President for the
brief period of time when he is under anesthesia," Psaki said. "The
Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time."
After transferring power at 10:10 a.m., Biden completed his
colonoscopy and resumed his duties as president at 11:35 on Friday morning. He
spoke with Harris and chief of staff Ron Klain at that time and "was in
good spirits," Psaki said.
The White House will release a summary of the results of
Biden's physical later Friday, Psaki said.
Biden, who will turn 79 on Saturday, was the oldest
president in U.S. history at the time he was sworn-in. His age has been a
source of attacks from Republicans, and it has made the results of his annual
physical a point of interest.
Biden last released the results of a medical assessment in
December 2019, during the presidential campaign. That assessment was completed
by his longtime physician, Kevin O'Connor, whom Biden has tapped to serve as
the top physician in the White House.
The transfer of power while the president is under
anesthesia is not unusual, as Psaki noted, though it was a point of contention
during the Trump administration.
Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham alleged that
then-President Trump would not go under anesthesia for a colonoscopy when he
was abruptly taken to Walter Reed in 2019 because he didn't want to transfer
power to his vice president, Mike Pence.
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