The White House has refused to explain a Parkinson’s expert’s eight recent visits to the executive mansion of US President Joe Biden, citing “security reasons” despite the visitor logs being public.
Reports emerged on Sunday that a well-known Neurologist and Parkinson’s expert, Dr. Kevin Cannard had visited the White House, as publicly available visit logs showed, fueling suggestions Biden might be suffering from a neurological disease.
Reports then emerged on Monday that the neurologist had visited Biden 8 times in the last 8 months.
When pressed on the reports by journalists, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday night, July 8, refused to confirm the visits and the name of the doctor citing security concerns.
Jean-Pierre refused to say what those security concerns surrounding Dr. Kevin Cannard’s visits might be, and at one point accused correspondents of engaging in “personal attacks.”
“There are thousands of military personnel who come onto this White House, many of them get the care from the White House Medical Unit. And so we need to be super careful,” the press secretary said.
“The medical unit hosts a wide range of specialists, from dermatologists to neurologists, and so I cannot speak to every person because there are actually security reasons to protect their privacy.”
Cannard’s visits included a January meeting with presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor that was first highlighted Saturday by The Post in the wake of the president’s disastrous June 27 debate performance, at which he appeared confused and made nonsensical remarks.
Biden had a physical examination in February and the White House said afterward that he did not have Parkinson’s.
Jean-Pierre said at the briefing that Biden has only seen a neurologist three times as president at each of his annual physical exams, but painstakingly avoided ruling out the possibility that Cannard was visiting the White House to consult on Biden’s health.
“They’re in the White House visitor logs. It’s public! I looked it up before I came out here. It is right there for anyone to see,” Ed O’Keefe of CBS News pointed out.
“I cannot from here confirm any of that because we have to keep their privacy. I think they would appreciate that too,” Jean-Pierre maintained.
“The patient or the doctor?” O’Keefe pressed.
“We have to keep their privacy,” Jean-Pierre replied, without answering the question.
”It is public,” reiterated NBC News correspondent Kelly O’Donnell, while O’Keffe exclaimed that “you’re going to allow this to fester longer, Karine, unless the White House just answers the question!”
Jean-Pierre chided O’Keefe that “there’s no reason to go back and forth at me in this aggressive way.”
“We’re a little miffed around here about how information has been shared with the press corps about him!” shot back O’Keefe, noting Jean-Pierre had previously provided incomplete information about whether Biden had medical check-ups following the debate.
“I am telling you right now I am not sharing, confirming names from here,” she repeated. “It is for security reasons. I am not going to do that, Ed. It doesn’t matter how hard you push me. it doesn’t matter how angry you get with me.
“I am not going to confirm a name, it doesn’t matter if it’s even in the log,” Jean-Pierre concluded.
Later, O’Donnell pointed out that reporters were merely “seeking clarity” and noted that Biden could choose to make his medical records immediately available by waiving his protections under federal law.
“One part of the reason we are pressing here is that we are not clear, on what has happened,” O’Donnell said. “And therefore, the American people to whom we report don’t have a sense. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”
“Personal attacks is not OK,” Jean-Pierre added. “Want to be very, very clear here.”
Jean-Pierre also accused reporters of “personal attacks.”
“The president doesn’t need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment, that is the assessment of the president’s doctor, that is also the assessment of his neurologist,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference the same day.
Biden’s cognitive acuity and readiness to take on former President Donald Trump, 78, in the 2024 election have come under intense scrutiny from members of the media and Democratic lawmakers and strategists since his debate flop on June 27.
Biden who is the oldest-ever president tripped over his own words at several points and agonizingly froze up before delivering a non sequitur in response to a critical line of questioning about his handling of entitlement programs.
