The White House confirmed on Monday that a Parkinson’s disease expert examined President Joe Biden for his annual physicals as media scrutiny surrounding Biden’s mental acuity intensifies.
White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote a letter Monday evening explaining why he met with Parkinson’s specialist Dr. Kevin Cannard in January, one of Cannard’s eight visits to the White House in the past eight months, according to visitor logs.
“Dr. Cannard was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals,” O’Connor wrote in the letter, while noting Cannard’s visits to active-duty military personnel at the White House. “President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical.”
His letter follows White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s refusal to discuss the subject Monday afternoon upon receiving a barrage of questions from reporters about Biden’s mental condition. Instead of addressing Cannard’s visits, Jean-Pierre dodged questions and said a neurologist treated Biden for each of his three physicals.
“Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No, he’s not. Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No,” Jean-Pierre later clarified.
O’Connor is a Democratic donor and longtime friend of the Biden family. He was also involved with distressed rural hospital company Americore, a business venture that paid over $600,000 to Joe Biden’s brother James, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said in a letter demanding O’Connor appear for an interview.
James Biden testified earlier this year about O’Connor introducing him to a group that conducted PTSD screenings on military bases during Biden’s time working for Americore. Internal Americore documents show O’Connor and James Biden held a meeting with an executive at a hospital the company acquired not long after, according to Politico.
Over the weekend, Cannard’s visits became a point of scrutiny after the New York Post first reported on his White House meeting with O’Connor in January. The next month, O’Connor cleared Biden based on the results of his annual physical and said the president showed no signs of Parkinson’s. Campaign finance records show Cannard repeatedly donated to Biden’s presidential campaign, with his most recent contribution occurring in May.
“Does NOT explain the visit(s) to the Residence Clinic. Believe me, the active duty people that work at the White House are not seen in that clinic. They are seen in the clinic in the Old Executive Office Building,” Representative Ronny Jackson (R., Texas.), a former White House physician, said on X shortly after O’Connor’s letter was publicized.
In the wake of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, many have speculated about Biden’s neurological condition and Democrats have openly discussed whether he is fit to serve. Biden, 81, is refusing to take an independent neurological examination and publicize the results to reassure the American people.