Joe Biden’s allies are dropping like flies. Any day now could be the end of the road for him.
And the White House Press Secretary admitted to lying for Biden in a bombshell confession.
President Biden was examined by neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, a specialist in Parkinson’s disease, at the White House on January 17, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted late Tuesday — just hours after she had denied it during her regular briefing.
The clarification came a day after Jean-Pierre rebuked a journalist who pressed her about providing misleading information regarding whether Biden, 81, had been medically evaluated following his disastrous June 27 debate performance, which sparked Democratic calls for him to step aside.
“Because the date was not mentioned in the question, I want to be clear that the Jan. 17 meeting between [presidential physician] Dr. [Kevin] O’Connor and Dr. Cannard was for the president’s physical,” Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press, whose reporter had inquired about Cannard’s meeting with O’Connor, first reported by the New York Post this past Saturday.
“It was one of the three times the president has seen Dr. Cannard, each time for his physical. The findings from each exam have been released to the public,” Jean-Pierre added.
Earlier Tuesday, the AP’s Seung Min Kim had asked Jean-Pierre, “Can you say whether that one meeting [between Cannard and O’Connor] was related to care for the president himself?”
Jean-Pierre replied, “I can say that it was not.”
Cannard visited the White House eight times in eight months, from July last year to March this year, purportedly for treating military members, according to a Monday night letter from O’Connor. However, public visitor logs showed Cannard’s visits were to the residence clinic in the White House basement, not the larger medical facility in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Cannard’s evaluations of Biden were included in a physical report released by O’Connor on February 28, which mentioned an “extremely detailed neurologic exam.”
“[T]here 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,” the report stated.
Jean-Pierre’s recent disclosure shifts the timeline for what the White House claims was Biden’s most recent neurological exam — amid doctors’ and politicians’ open speculations about his cognitive health.
The press secretary’s walk-back came despite the press corps’ outcry over her initial refusal to explain Cannard’s visits and her previous denial that Biden had “any kind of medical exam” after the debate, during which he appeared confused and made comments such as that he “finally beat Medicare.”
Another White House spokesperson later revealed that “several days” after the debate, “the President was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well.”
Jean-Pierre scolded CBS journalist Ed O’Keefe during a tense briefing exchange on Monday when he pointed out that “it is listed that [Cannard] went to the residence clinic.”
“Hold on a second. There’s no reason to go back and forth with me in this aggressive way,” Jean-Pierre said in a sanctimonious tone.
“Well, we’re a little miffed around here about how information has been shared with the press corps about him,” O’Keefe replied.
“What are you missed [sic] about? What are you missed [sic] about?” she exclaimed, insisting that “every time I come back and I answer the question that you guys asked.”
“And you answer it incorrectly and then have to come back and clean it up a few days later,” O’Keefe retorted.
Later in the briefing, Jean-Pierre criticized the line of questioning as inappropriate.
“The personal attacks is [sic] not okay,” she said.
Jean-Pierre is widely viewed by White House colleagues as poorly prepared and disinterested in details of major stories before briefing the press — leading to an unsuccessful effort last fall by presidential adviser Anita Dunn, who oversees West Wing communications strategy, to convince her to step down before the election year.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
