Congress's Top Doctor, a Navy Admiral, Resigns Amid Misconduct Probe

Rear Adm. Brian Monahan, the Navy physician who has served as the attending physician for Congress and the Supreme Court since 2009, has resigned amid allegations of misconduct, according to CBS News and The Washington Sun. Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the departure, telling reporters, “My understanding is he’s resigned,” CBS News reported.

The resignation comes alongside a newly released report from the Defense Department’s inspector general that found the Navy-staffed Office of the Attending Physician operated without proper oversight for years, according to Navy Times.

Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, has resigned from his post as lawmakers' top doctor amid allegations of misconduct. https://t.co/5DaDltSD0r

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 13, 2026

What the watchdog found

“The absence of [DoD] oversight of clinical quality management and pharmacy operations increases the risks to both patients and Navy medical personnel assigned to the OAP,” the inspector general’s report said, as quoted by Navy Times.

The public version of the report, which CBS News described as light on specifics and heavily redacted, identified a “gap in clinical quality management” and found that some prescription drugs, including sleep aids and pain medication, were not properly inventoried or tracked. Those shortfalls could “result in OAP beneficiaries unknowingly assuming health and safety risks because clinical and prescribing practices were not monitored,” the inspector general wrote, according to CBS News.

Navy Times reported that the inspector general found no evidence the office’s pharmacy had undergone required inspections, and that neither the Drug Enforcement Administration nor the Defense Department had visited it to conduct a review. A Controlled Substance Inventory Board that observed the office’s inventory found five medication inconsistencies, including missing prescription records in medical bags used during congressional travel, according to Navy Times. The inspector general could not verify whether those errors had been fixed, the outlet reported.

The watchdog also described resistance to its review. Monahan refused to participate in the investigation, and Congress’s general counsel prevented the inspector general from obtaining internal documents and blocked office personnel from speaking to investigators, according to Navy Times.

Sailors’ complaints

CBS News reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Monahan resigned after allegations of misconduct related to what he chose to do and asked the sailors under him to do in providing care. CBS News also reported that the Navy is conducting its own inquiry into the office.

Navy Times previously reported that military personnel in the office said they were pressured to work 70- to 80-hour weeks and handle tasks “no one else wants to do,” including cutting a congressman’s toenails or bringing medication to a private residence at 3 a.m. Several sailors assigned to the office were recently reassigned, The Washington Sun reported, citing Navy Times.

Neither Monahan nor the Navy has publicly announced the departure, according to The Washington Sun, which reported that Monahan was still listed as the attending physician on the Navy’s website.

What comes next

The inspector general made five recommendations, CBS News reported, including designating an outside body to oversee quality control and establishing policies and procedures for the office’s staff. According to Navy Times, the report also recommended reviewing the office’s pharmacy inspection records and potentially having the Defense Department or DEA conduct additional inspections if federal law was violated.

The office, which the Navy has run since 1928, provides medical care to members of Congress, staff, Supreme Court justices and visitors to the Capitol complex, according to CBS News. As of August 2025, it was staffed by five physicians, two pharmacists and 11 corpsmen, Navy Times reported.

The allegations against Monahan have not been resolved, and no findings of wrongdoing against him personally have been made public.

Reporting by Daily Beltway.