Washington
CNN
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A prime Parkinson’s illness specialist held a gathering with President Joe Biden’s doctor on the White Home earlier this 12 months, in response to data, although the circumstances of the assembly are unclear.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist on the Walter Reed Nationwide Navy Medical Middle, met with White Home doctor Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the White Home in mid-January, in response to White Home customer logs.
Cannard has visited the White Home thrice this 12 months, in response to the customer logs: A January 17 assembly with O’Connor, and with one other staffer on January 26 and March 28. Cannard has visited the White Home at the least eight instances over the previous 12 months, in response to the logs, starting final August and ending with the March 28 assembly. Solely the January 17 assembly lists O’Connor as the one that was visited.
O’Connor took the bizarre step Monday night time of releasing a letter providing some particulars about Cannard’s visits to the White Home, following days of hypothesis in regards to the president’s well being, writing that “President Biden has not seen a neurologist exterior of his annual bodily.”
He wrote of Cannard: “Previous to the pandemic, and following its finish, he has held common Neurology Clinics on the White Home Medical Clinic in help of the hundreds of active-duty members assigned in help of White Home operations,” including, “Many navy personnel expertise neurological points associated to their service, and Dr. Cannard often visits the WHMU as a part of this Basic Neurology follow.”
O’Connor described Cannard because the “neurological specialist that examined President Biden for every of his annual physicals” and famous the specialist’s findings have been included every time he publicly launched the outcomes of the president’s bodily.
Requested earlier Monday in regards to the go to between Cannard and O’Connor, White Home spokesperson Andrew Bates mentioned, “A extensive number of specialists from the Walter Reed system go to the White Home advanced to deal with the hundreds of navy personnel who work on the grounds.”
These visits embrace one from a neurologist every year for Biden’s bodily, Bates mentioned. Biden has not been seen by a neurologist throughout his time as president exterior the context of his annual bodily, he added.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later repeated Biden had been seen by a neurologist thrice throughout his presidency – as soon as throughout every of his physicals – however declined to call them or clarify why Cannard had visited the White Home eight instances over the previous 12 months.
She mentioned she wouldn’t title the specialist resulting from safety causes. Publicly accessible profiles title Cannard as a neurology specialist supporting the White Home Medical Unit.
“I’m not sharing, confirming names from right here,” she mentioned throughout the information briefing, which shortly turned contentious as Jean-Pierre deflected questions in regards to the president’s well being. “It doesn’t matter how exhausting you push me, it doesn’t matter how indignant you get with me, I’m not going to substantiate a reputation, it doesn’t matter if it’s even within the log, I’m not going to do this from right here.”
Jean-Pierre added Biden has by no means been handled for, or taken any medication to deal with, Parkinson’s.
Cannard — who’s labored as a neurologist for Walter Reed for greater than a decade — has visited the White Home a number of instances, in response to the customer logs, which don’t element the explanations for the go to, together with whether or not Cannard was visiting in reference to Biden or one other one that works on the White Home.
Biden’s newest well being report, launched by O’Connor, indicated the president had been screened for plenty of neurological situations, together with Parkinson’s, with unfavorable outcomes, as did two different bodily experiences from Biden’s time as president.
The six-page letter from O’Connor, launched after the president underwent his final bodily in February, mentioned a number of specialists consulted on the bodily, together with a neurological specialist.
It later mentioned O’Connor convened a number of specialists, together with an unnamed movement-disorder neurologic specialist, to evaluate Biden’s stiffened gait, which had been famous since Biden’s November 2021 bodily.
That staff concluded Biden’s stiff gait was the results of “put on and tear” on his backbone and never a neurological situation, O’Connor wrote. An “extraordinarily detailed” examination resulted in no findings according to Parkinson’s, a number of sclerosis, or different neurological issues.
Information of the go to by Cannard comes as Biden’s age, health and psychological acuity have been beneath intense scrutiny following his faltering June 27 presidential debate efficiency in opposition to former President Donald Trump.
Within the 11 days since that efficiency, Biden has needed to defend his place on the highest of the Democratic ticket and his potential to manipulate for an additional 4 years if he’s reelected. Each the White Home and Biden have repeatedly been requested about checks and medical doctors visits within the months earlier than the controversy and the moments after.
Biden was requested in an ABC interview on Friday whether or not he had taken particular checks for cognitive functionality. The president responded by saying he’s often seen by White Home medical doctors and added, “Nobody mentioned I needed to … they mentioned I’m good.”
The president additionally added that he spoke along with his physician and was informed, “You’re exhausted.” Biden mentioned, “Being president” means “I get a full neurological check day by day.”
Talking with Biden throughout an interview Monday morning, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski requested Biden particularly whether or not he had undergone any current checks for Parkinson’s. Biden confirmed he had.
“Have you ever been examined for any age-related sickness, pre-Parkinson’s or something like that, which may clarify type of having an evening like that the place you couldn’t end sentences?” the MSNBC host requested.
Biden laughed earlier than responding: “I had earlier than.”
The president added: “I used to be feeling so badly earlier than the controversy, after I got here again, they examined me for – I believed perhaps I had COVID, perhaps there was one thing improper, I had an an infection or one thing. They examined me, they gave me these checks, I used to be clear.”
The White Home and Biden marketing campaign have alternatively blamed Biden’s poor efficiency throughout the debate on his packed journey schedule within the weeks earlier than – Biden went to France to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day and Italy to attend the G7 – and a chilly.
The White Home initially mentioned Biden wasn’t seen by a health care provider after the controversy, however then reversed after Biden informed a bunch of governors throughout a gathering final week that he underwent a medical checkup after the controversy and is ok.
This story has been up to date with extra data.
CNN’s Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.