President Joe Biden’s physician launched a letter late Monday clarifying the explanations for a Parkinson’s illness specialist’s quite a few visits to the White Home, simply hours after reporters in search of a proof clashed with the president’s press secretary within the briefing room.
Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, mentioned Kevin Cannard — who visited the White Home a number of instances over the past yr — has been a neurology advisor to the White Home medical workplace since 2012. Cannard, a Parkinson’s professional, holds neurology clinics on the White Home for active-duty army members, the letter mentioned. He was additionally the neurological specialist who examined Biden for his three annual physicals since taking workplace.
The president has not seen a neurologist outdoors of his bodily, O’Connor mentioned. He reiterated that Biden’s February bodily discovered no findings in step with “any cerebellar or different central neurological dysfunction, comparable to stroke, a number of sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor are there any indicators of cervical myelopathy.”
“Seeing sufferers on the White Home is one thing that Dr. Cannard has been doing for a dozen years. Dr. Cannard was chosen for this duty not as a result of he’s a motion dysfunction specialist, however as a result of he’s a extremely skilled and extremely regarded neurologist right here at Walter Reed and throughout the Army Well being System, with a really huge experience which makes him versatile to see quite a lot of sufferers and issues,” the letter mentioned.
The letter got here simply hours after White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clashed with reporters over questions on whether or not or not Cannard was on the White Home to seek the advice of on the president’s well being. In latest days, a number of information shops have reported on Cannard’s visits to the White Home, together with a gathering with the president’s physician.
Monday’s tense back-and-forth drew headlines about Jean-Pierre’s unwillingness to reply the quite a few questions in regards to the physician’s visits. The president continues to be making an attempt to wash up final month’s tough debate and to persuade members of his personal social gathering that he’s as much as the duty of working for reelection.
Jean-Pierre on Monday repeatedly mentioned she wouldn’t verify the identify of the specialist to guard the privateness of the individuals handled within the White Home Medical Unit. In his letter, O’Connor mentioned he obtained permission from each the president and Cannard since they sometimes don’t disclose the names of specialists they work with to be able to “defend the privateness for 1000’s of sufferers of the White Home Medical Unit.”
