The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Joe Biden consulted with neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s disease specialist, at the White House on January 17.
This information was clarified on Wednesday, July 10, following previous contradictory statements by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre faced scrutiny on Tuesday after scolding a journalist who questioned her about providing misleading information regarding Biden’s medical evaluation. The query arose in the wake of Biden’s debate performance on June 27, which led to calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside.
Addressing the confusion, Jean-Pierre clarified that the January 17 meeting between Dr. Cannard and Presidential Physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor was part of Biden’s physical examination. She emphasized that the president has seen Dr. Cannard three times, each occasion being for his physical, and the findings from these exams have been made public.
Jean-Pierre’s clarification followed an inquiry from the Associated Press’s Seung Min Kim, who asked if the meeting between Cannard and O’Connor was related to the president’s care. Initially, Jean-Pierre had stated that it was not.
Dr. Cannard visited the White House eight times between July of last year and March this year. While these visits were suggested to be for treating military members, public visitor logs indicate that they took place in the residence clinic in the White House basement, rather than the larger medical facility in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The findings from Dr. Cannard’s evaluation of Biden were included in a physical report released by Dr. O’Connor on February 28, which detailed that the president underwent an “extremely detailed neurologic exam.”
