In Monday’s intense press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was on the defensive as prominent journalists probed her about multiple visits from a top Parkinson’s disease specialist to the White House. With the pressure mounting, Jean-Pierre adamantly denied that President Joe Biden was being treated for Parkinson’s or taking any related medications.
The briefing became increasingly charged as veteran reporters, including CBS’s Ed O’Keefe, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, and the Associated Press’s Zeke Miller, demanded transparency over the specialist’s repeated visits noted in White House logs from July 2023 through March. Despite their persistent questioning, Jean-Pierre offered no concrete answers, contributing to a palpable sense of frustration among the media.
Jean-Pierre explained that the president’s medical exams routinely involve various specialists, including neurologists, as part of standard protocol. Yet, her refusal to identify these specialists or elaborate on the nature of the visits only escalated speculation and mistrust.
Citing “security reasons” and privacy concerns, Jean-Pierre resisted sharing further details. “I am telling you right now that I am not sharing confirming names from here,” she asserted during the briefing. “It doesn’t matter how hard you push me. It doesn’t matter how angry you get with me. I’m not going to confirm a name.”
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The atmosphere in the briefing room was tense, with Jean-Pierre appearing visibly shaken by the aggressive line of questioning, reaching a point where she seemed near tears. “To say that I’m holding information or allude to anything else is not only unfair,” she stated. “It’s really, really unfair. I think people who are watching and have been watching this briefing for this past week could say that we are doing our best in this briefing to provide the information that we have.”
She also expressed personal offense to the confrontational tone at the start of the briefing, emphasizing, “It’s not okay.”
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According to The New York Times, Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s disease specialist from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, visited the White House eight times over the last eight months. These visits reportedly included at least one meeting with Biden’s physician, raising eyebrows about the purpose of these consultations.
When pressed, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates remarked, “A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds.”
The precise reasons for Dr. Cannard’s visits remain unclear, igniting further speculation about Biden’s health, especially following his challenging debate performance against former President Donald Trump in late June. This ongoing uncertainty continues to fuel debates and concerns over the transparency and openness of the White House regarding the president’s health.
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