Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, had to retract her earlier statement on Tuesday when she incorrectly stated that neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, a specialist in Parkinson’s disease, had not examined President Joe Biden in January.
According to some medical professionals, following Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month, there have been speculations about his health condition and possible suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
The New York Post reported over the weekend that based on the White House visitor logs Cannard had come to the White House on Jan. 17 and met with Biden’s presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
As reported by Western Journal:
At the Tuesday White House news briefing, Associated Press reporter Seung Min Kim asked Jean-Pierre about the letter, noting it “didn’t seem to explicitly describe the nature of Dr. Cannard’s meeting with Dr. O’Connor.”
“So can you say whether that one meeting was related to care for the president himself?” she asked.
“I can say that it was not,” Jean-Pierre answered.
However, the press secretary reached back out to Kim later Tuesday evening, saying her answer was incorrect.
“Because the date was not mentioned in the question, I want to be clear that the Jan. 17 meeting between Dr. O’Connor and Dr. Cannard was for the president’s physical,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement to the AP.
This mix-up only adds fuel to the flames of speculation concerning Biden’s health status. It raises questions about why such crucial information was withheld initially and then corrected only when pressed by reporters.
During a news conference on Monday, Jean-Pierre read from Biden’s health summary that stated there were no neurological disorders detected during his examination; yet, it took an intense exchange with CBS News reporter Ed O’Keefe to get her to acknowledge the nature of Dr. Cannard’s visits to the White House.
Once again, this incident underscores the necessity for transparency and honest communication from those in power, regardless of party affiliation. The American public deserves nothing less than truthfulness when it comes to the health and ability of their elected leader. Yet, in this instance, we see a clear lack of forthrightness that leaves us questioning what else might be concealed behind closed doors.