WASHINGTON — Dr Kevin O’Connor, the physician for President Joe Biden, issued a letter late Monday night to confirm Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s expert, “was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals.”
In the letter, O’Connor writes his “findings have been made public each time I have released the results of the President’s annual physical” and that Biden “has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical.”
The letter came just hours after a heated press briefing, where White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to confirm details of Cannard’s visit, citing privacy reasons.
“Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No.” Jean-Pierre told reporters as she was bombarded with questions.
CBS News reporter Ed O’Keefe accused Jean-Pierre of allowing the issue of Biden’s health to “fester” with indirect answers.
Jean-Pierre later repeated Biden had been seen by a neurologist three times during his presidency – once during each of his physicals – but declined to name them.
“I am not sharing, confirming names from here,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you push me, it doesn’t matter how angry you get with me, I’m not going to confirm a name, it doesn’t matter if it’s even in the log, I am not going to do that from here.”
Later the White House attempted to clarify in a statement.
“A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
Biden was evaluated by a neurologist who found no signs of Parkinson’s, according to a summary O’Connor released in February.
“An extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor are there any signs of cervical myelopathy,” his report states.
