Washington
CNN
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A high Parkinson’s illness specialist held a gathering with President Joe Biden’s doctor on the White Home earlier this 12 months, in accordance with data, although the circumstances of the assembly are unclear.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist on the Walter Reed Nationwide Army Medical Middle, met with White Home doctor Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the White Home in mid-January, in accordance with White Home customer logs.
Requested in regards to the go to, White Home spokesperson Andrew Bates mentioned, “A vast number of specialists from the Walter Reed system go to the White Home complicated to deal with the hundreds of navy personnel who work on the grounds.”
These visits embody one from a neurologist annually 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.
Cannard — who’s labored as a neurologist for Walter Reed for greater than a decade — has visited the White Home a number of occasions, according to the visitor 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 quite a lot of neurological circumstances, together with Parkinson’s, with destructive outcomes, as did two different bodily reviews from Biden’s time as president.
The six-page letter from O’Connor, launched after the president underwent his final bodily in February, says a number of specialists consulted on the bodily, together with a neurological specialist.
It later says O’Connor convened a number of specialists, together with an unnamed movement-disorder neurologic specialist, to evaluation Biden’s stiffened gait, which had been famous since Biden’s November 2021 bodily.
That group 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 per 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 underneath 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 assessments and docs 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 assessments for cognitive functionality. The president responded by saying he’s frequently seen by White Home docs 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 instructed, “You’re exhausted.” Biden mentioned, “Being president” means “I get a full neurological take a look at each day.”
Talking with Biden throughout an interview Monday morning, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski requested Biden particularly whether or not he had undergone any current assessments for Parkinson’s. Biden confirmed he had.
“Have you ever been examined for any age-related sickness, pre-Parkinson’s or something like that, that may clarify kind 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, once I got here again, they examined me for – I assumed perhaps I had COVID, perhaps there was one thing mistaken, I had an an infection or one thing. They examined me, they gave me these assessments, 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 physician after the controversy, however then reversed after Biden instructed a bunch of governors throughout a gathering final week that he underwent a medical checkup after the controversy and is okay.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed.