At 8:40 PM Eastern Monday evening, the White House Press Office sent out a memorandum addressed to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President, related to visits by Walter Reed neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard to the White House and his examinations of President Joe Biden.
O’Connor states that Cannard has performed neurological exams on Biden for his annual physical examinations but denies that Cannard has examined Biden at any other time, and says that all of Cannard’s findings have been included as part of the report of Biden’s annual medical examination every year. He also states that Cannard has been examining patients at the White House for 12 years as the Neurology Consultant to the White House Medical Unit (WHMU), and that he was chosen to be the WHMU’s neurologist not because of his specialty in movement disorders, but “because he is a highly trained and highly regarded neurologist here at Walter Reed and across the Military Health System.”
After detailing Dr. Cannard’s training and experience, O’Connor writes:
Dr. Cannard was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals. His findings have been made public each time I have released the results of the President’s annual physical. President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical.
The results of this year’s exam were detailed in my February 28th letter: “An extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor are there any signs of cervical myelopathy. This exam did again support a finding of peripheral neuropathy in both feet. No motor weakness was detected. He exhibits no tremor, either at rest or with activity. He demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity. But a subtle difference in heat/cold sensation could be elicited as it was last year. This heat/cold sensation deficit was detected a couple of inches higher on his ankle/calf this year, which is not unexpected. There may; in fact, be day to day subjective variation of these findings, as during last year’s exam, this area of sensation deficit was actually found to be smaller than the year before.”
The White House must be spooked to release this letter so late at night, and it’s doubtful that this letter will assuage anyone’s concerns.
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The entire letter can be read below:
Letter7.8.24WH Doc by Jennifer Van Laar
