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The press secretary refused to discuss the visits, even though the fact that the doctor had been to the White House was already made public.
President Joe Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, had a contentious exchange during Monday’s press briefing with reporters regarding White House visits by a Parkinson’s disease expert.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, who specializes in Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, has been to the White House “eight times in eight months from last summer through this spring,” The New York Times reports, citing official visitor logs. One visit was for a meeting with Biden’s primary physician, but “it was unclear whether Dr. Cannard was at the White House to consult specifically about the president or was there for unrelated meetings,” according to the Times.
However, at the briefing, Jean-Pierre “refused to talk about Dr. Cannard or to acknowledge his visits to the White House, even after The New York Times and other news organizations reported on the logs,” a later Times story notes. She cited privacy and security concerns.
Much of the questioning came from Ed O’Keefe, the White House correspondent for CBS News. “You’re not answering a very basic, direct question,” O’Keefe said. Jean-Pierre responded, “I am telling you he has seen a neurologist three times. That is what I’m sharing with you. So, every time he has a physical, he has had to see a neurologist. So that is answering that question.”
“No, it’s not,” O’Keefe said. “No, it is. It is,” Jean-Pierre replied.
Questions have been raised about Biden’s health for some time, particularly after last month’s debate with Donald Trump, when the president was hoarse due to a cold and sometimes struggled for words. However, at the debate, Trump told many lies and refused to answer the moderators’ questions, instead deflecting to other topics.
Some Democratic politicians and activists have called on Biden to exit the race, fearing he cannot defeat the clearly unhinged and dangerous Trump, who has said he wants to be a dictator “on day one” if he wins and will seek retribution against his opponents. Biden has asserted that he is staying in and that the calls for him to withdraw only benefit Trump’s campaign.
The full briefing is below.
07/08/24: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierrewww.youtube.com
