Rear Adm. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, has resigned amid military investigations into allegations of misconduct, according to U.S. officials.
Monahan faces allegations of managing a toxic work environment, as well as dispensing medications to lawmakers and their staff without prescriptions and a lack of oversight of controlled substances, they said.
The Office of the Attending Physician is tasked with providing 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, including Monahan, who is a two-star admiral.
Monahan's resignation comes about a year after the Pentagon watchdog and the Navy opened probes into him, the officials said.
The Pentagon's Office of Inspector General released its findings Friday, warning of "health and safety risks" stemming from Monahan's office. The investigators concluded there were insufficient measures in place to properly oversee the healthcare provided by Monahan's office, including reviewing pharmacy operations or conducting medication inventories. The IG was unable to validate that the office pharmacy had undergone regular, mandatory inspections or completed required inventories of drugs.
During a February 2026 inventory, for example, the Controlled Substance Inventory Board found discrepancies in the inventories of five controlled substances, including opioid pain medication. During interviews, Navy medical personnel told the IG that office personnel only "loosely" follow naval pharmacy guidelines.
The lack of oversight could result in patients unknowingly assuming health and safety risks, according to investigators.
Monahan recused himself from the probe and directed investigators to a congressional counsel for any future communication, according to the report. The lack of access "significantly limited" the IG's ability to conduct their investigation, the report states.
The Pentagon agreed with the IG's recommendations to tighten controls, according to a memo accompanying the report. The findings from a separate Navy investigation haven't been released.
The Navy and Monahan didn't respond to requests for comment. Punchbowl reported earlier that Monahan had been removed from his post amid an investigation.
Monahan has kept a low profile, which is typical of the job. But he drew scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic, playing 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.