That exam by Cannard resulted in “no findings” that would correlate with Parkinson’s or other neurological disorders.
“His findings have been made public each time I have released the results of the President’s annual physical,” O’Connor wrote. “President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical.”
The letter was released amid mounting questions over Cannard’s repeated visits to the White House; Cannard most recently visited on Jan. 17, according to White House visitor logs. He has also visited the White House at least seven other times since November 2022, according to the logs.
The White House said that Cannard’s visits were primarily for other staff on the White House campus, and that he was not selected for his role because of his expertise in Parkinson’s.
Cannard has been serving as an on-call neurologist for the White House since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Cannard visited the Obama White House at least 15 times between 2012 and 2013, according to a review of visitor logs; he was twice signed in by President Barack Obama’s personal physician.
“Many military personnel experience neurological issues related to their service, and Dr. Cannard regularly visits the [White House medical unit] as part of this General Neurology practice,” O’Connor wrote. “He is the longest serving Neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and in the Military Healthcare System.”
Cannard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Three former members of the White House medical unit, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive medical details, said that Cannard has made frequent visits to the White House for care to Cabinet members and other senior staff during current and prior administrations. As the unit’s neurology consultant, Cannard often administered Botox shots to treat migraines, particularly to high-level Trump officials, the former White House medical unit members said.
“As a neurologist, he had a limited amount of options available for treatment, but migraines were a lot of what he treated,” one of the former staffers said.
Two former staff members also said it was typical for specialist physicians to visit with the president several weeks before the annual physical exam, to expedite the process.
The White House has faced questions over Biden’s cognitive health following his halting performance in a prime-time debate against rival Donald Trump last month, where the 81-year-old president frequently stumbled over his words or seemed to lose his train of thought. The White House also has declined to make O’Connor, Biden’s longtime physician, available for interviews.
House Republicans on Sunday demanded that O’Connor testify about his relationship with Biden and why he has declined to order a cognitive test for the president.
At the White House briefing on Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre engaged in a testy back-and-forth with reporters who asked why Cannard had repeatedly visited the White House.
Jean-Pierre refused to answer whether Cannard’s visits were about the president, prompting a shouting match with reporters. She said Biden had seen a neurologist for each of his three annual physicals but declined to provide more detail.
Jean-Pierre said there were “security reasons” she could not disclose the doctor’s name — even though it appeared in public White House visitor logs — and said she could not share names of specialists.
Jean-Pierre said in the middle of the exchange that she would not confirm any names, saying, “It doesn’t matter how hard you push me. It doesn’t matter how angry you get with me from here. I’m just not going to do that. It’s inappropriate, and it’s not acceptable.”
Several reporters accused Jean-Pierre of withholding critical information about Biden’s health. After the prolonged exchange, Jean-Pierre said she took offense at what had just occurred.
