As recently as yesterday, reporters were unable to get Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to comment on the frequent visits of Parkinson's Disease expert Dr. Kevin Cannard to see Joe Biden. But a vague attempt at an explanation showed up in the form of a letter from the President's personal physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor later in the day. He admitted that Dr. Cannard had come to see Biden eight times in as many months (!) but didn't delve into the specifics of the discussions. All that was said was that Cannard had seen Biden as part of his annual physical exams. This rather weak explanation raises many questions, but the one thing that seems obvious is that the White House is continuing to lie about what's going on with the President's health and cognitive capabilities in the midst of multiple national and global crises. (NY Post)

The White House admitted Monday that a Parkinson’s expert who’s visited the executive mansion eight times in as many months has evaluated President Biden — but said the exams only took place during the president’s annual physicals.

The revelation was disclosed in a letter from Biden’s personal physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to explain the flurry of recent visits from the Parkinson’s specialist, Dr. Kevin Cannard.

“Dr. Cannard was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals,” O’Connor wrote in the letter.

Having a Parkinson's specialist on call for the White House is nothing unusual. Presidents receive better health care than virtually anyone else in the country and they probably keep a list of specialists for every conceivable medical issue imaginable at all times. But even for presidents, you typically don't call in a specialist unless the primary care physician (O'Connor, in this case) sees something that warrants such a visit. You wouldn't send a specialist in Dupuytren's contracture to see the President unless a problem was noted with his hands.

With that in mind, it's difficult to imagine why Dr. Cannard was summoned unless there were concerns over the possibility that Biden was exhibiting signs of Parkinson's. But eight visits in eight months? That's probably not very unlikely either. There is currently no standard blood test or other type of test that can definitively diagnose Parkinson's. A neurologist will conduct a clinical diagnosis based on a patient's medical history, symptoms, and a physical and neurological exam. But more than a decade ago, the FDA approved an imaging scan called the DaTscan that examines the patient's brain to develop a detailed picture of its dopamine system. If anyone could be approved for such a test it would be the President. Has such a scan been performed? We have no idea because the White House is refusing to say due to "security concerns."

Because of privacy issues regarding medical records, we probably don't have any way to force more answers out of the White House so we are left to speculate. (This may be even worse for Biden politically than just leveling with us.) But Dr. Cannard wouldn't be coming in and out of the White House more frequently than Hunter Biden's crack dealer for no particular reason. There are symptoms that doctors typically look for, however. Johns Hopkins notes the common early symptoms of Parkinson's including slowness of movement in the limbs, face, walking, or overall body. Trouble with balance and possible falls are also early indicators. Does any of this sound familiar to those who have been observing the President yet?

While alarming for anyone, a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease for the President would be basically just as worrisome as a case of dementia or Alzheimer's. It brings on similar concerns over cognitive decline and stamina. We should all wish the President the best of luck with his physical health as we would for anyone else, but are these really the characteristics we should be comfortable seeing in the person who is followed around by the agent carrying the nuclear football? Joe Biden is regularly required to speak with world leaders who are currently dealing with multiple international crises. He has to make decisions that impact each and every one of us. If he is dealing with a medical condition that could easily impair him in those tasks, the public has the right to know about it. But this White House has been lying about virtually everything from the moment Joe Biden took office. I suppose we shouldn't be all that shocked if they are lying about this also.