President Joe Biden‘s doctor met with a neurologist who is reportedly a Parkinson’s disease expert at the White House earlier this year, visitor logs show.
The New York Post first published a story on Saturday about the logs as questions swirl about the commander-in-chief’s health following a fumbling debate performance less than two weeks ago.
Online records show Kevin Cannard, whose LinkedIn page shows him as being a “Movement Disorders specialist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” met with White House physician Kevin O’Connor at 5 p.m. ET on January 17.
These same logs show the visit taking place in the Residence Clinic with two other people. According to the Post, Walter Reed cardiologist John Atwood is one of the individuals listed as being in the room. The fourth person has not been identified.
Cannard travelled to the White House at least nine other times for appointments in the past year, stretching as far back as August 25, the visitor logs show. However, the purpose for each visit — including the one with O’Connor in January — is not shown in the records.
The New York Post said the White House declined to answer questions about who met with Cannard, O’Connor, and Atwood in January. It also noted Cannard — an “authority on Parkinson’s who has worked at Walter Reed for nearly 20 years” — and Atwood refused to comment.
A White House spokesperson told the outlet that a “wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds.”
Still, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who served as a White House physician for former President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama, told the Post it was “highly likely” the health experts were discussing Biden’s health.
Biden, 81, is facing a crisis of confidence among his fellow Democrats after his shaky presentation at his debate against Trump — their first face-off of the 2024 election cycle.
Some party members are calling on Biden to drop his re-election campaign, but the president and his team have been trying to reassure supporters that he is still capable of serving and running for a second term.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday Biden “checked in” with his doctor for a conversation about a “cold” following the debate, but stressed it was not a “medical examination.” Biden refused to commit to a cognitive exam during an interview with ABC.
O’Connor said in late February, after Biden’s latest physical examination, that testing had turned up “no findings which would be consistent with” Parkinson’s disease and he determined the president to be “fit for duty,” according to The New York Times.
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