Washington – The White House released a letter from President Biden’s doctor Monday night after press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced repeated questions in a briefing about Mr. Biden’s health and whether a visit to the White House by a Parkinson’s disease specialist involved the president. .
The White House visitor log, details of which were first reported by the New York Post and the New York Times, show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, an expert on Parkinson’s disease, visited the White House eight times from last summer to this spring. The logs show Cannard met at least once with Mr. Biden’s personal physician.
Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday afternoon that the president is not being treated for Parkinson’s.
“Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Has he been treated for Parkinson’s? No, no. Does he take medication for Parkinson’s? No,” he said.
But at the time, the press secretary refused to confirm the doctor’s visit, citing “security reasons.”
This led to a tense back-and-forth between Jean-Pierre and the reporter. It comes as the president stands firm against critics who have called for him to end his re-election campaign after the disaster. debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27.
“You didn’t answer the direct and basic questions” about the doctor’s visit, CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe told Jean-Pierre.
“Every year, around the president’s physical examination, he sees a neurologist,” he said. “That’s three times.”
“At the White House or Walter Reed?” O’Keefe asked, referring to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where presidents typically receive their annual physical exams. Mr. Biden has a Check it out in February.
“That’s what I told you. So every time he has a physical, he has to see a neurologist. So that answers the question,” Jean-Pierre said.
“Did Dr. Kevin Cannard come to the White House specifically because of the president’s condition?” O’Keefe asked again.
“For security reasons, we cannot share names,” the press secretary said. “We cannot share the names of specialists as widely as possible, from dermatologists to neurologists.”
CBS News listed the visit as public information, but Jean-Pierre said he could not confirm the visit because “we have to maintain privacy.”
“No matter how hard you push me. No matter how angry you get with me. I will not confirm the name. It does not matter if it is even in the log,” he said. “It’s inappropriate. It’s unacceptable. So I’m not going to do it.”
Monday night, the White House released a memo from the president’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who said he had permission from President Biden and Dr. Cannard to share more details.
“Dr. Cannard is the neurologist who examines President Biden for each annual physical. His findings are made public every time I release the results of the President’s annual physical. President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical,” O’Connor wrote, noting that Cannard has been a consultant neurologist at the White House Medical Unit since 2012.
“The result of exam this year Details in the February 28 letter: “A very detailed neurological examination again confirmed that there were no findings consistent with cerebellar or other central neurological disorders, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, or ascending lateral sclerosis,” wrote O’Connor.
O’Connor also noted that Cannard has made regular visits to the White House Medical Unit “to support the thousands of active duty members assigned to support White House operations. Many military personnel experience service-related neurological problems, and Dr. Cannard regularly visits the WHMU as part of this General Neurology practice.
The president, adamant that he remains in the race, has been in violation for several days.
Since the debate, Mr. Biden has been trying to prove that he can do the job for another four years, participating in several interview, campaign events and do outreach for Democrats and prominent donors in an effort to drum up support.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mr. Biden said in a phone interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday. “I wouldn’t be running if I wasn’t convinced that I was the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump in 2024. We have a Democratic nominating process where voters speak clearly.”
In a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, Mr. Biden said he “steadfastly loyal“To continue the campaign and ask for a discourse on whether they have a way to stop it.
First lady Jill Biden, who appeared to be one of the few who could take her decision, echoed that message during a campaign stop in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“Joe has made it clear that he is everything,” he said. “It’s a decision I’ve made, and as much as they’ve supported my career, I’ve been involved.”
Although some House Democrats have asked him to withdraw from the race, many say they still support him. No Senate Democrat has publicly called for the president to step aside, though some have called for more to show he’s up to the task.
Among those who want Mr. Biden to resign is Washington Representative Adam Smith, who told CBS News Monday, “there will be a sense of relief among all Democrats in the House” if the president ends his campaign.
“We’ll do better with another nominee,” Smith said. “I believe that in my heart, my soul, my brain – I believe it 100 percent.”
A new CBS News poll found that the race moved slightly in the direction of former President Donald Trump after the July 27 debate. Trump now has a 3-point lead over Mr. Biden in battleground states and a 2-point lead nationally.
Ed O’Keefe
