White House doctor offers explanation for Parkinson's expert's visits

In a letter released late Monday night by the president's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, he confirmed that Dr. Kevin Cannard, the Parkinson's expert who visited the White House eight times in an eight-month span, "was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals."

Cannard’s visits to the White House don’t represent examinations of the president, according to O’Connor’s letter. Cannard is involved in a range of care for others beyond the president at the White House, O’Connor said in his note.

“Prior to the pandemic, and following its end, [Cannard] has held regular Neurology clinics at the White House Medical Clinic in support of the thousands of active-duty members assigned in support of White House operations,” his letter reads. “Many military personnel experience neurological issues related to their service, and Dr. Cannard regularly visits the WHMU as part of this General Neurology Practice.”

On the subject of Biden’s physical, O'Connor noted that "President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical."

O’Connor also stressed that Biden's last physical found no signs of Parkinson's, which he detailed in a Feb. 28 letter.

While the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to confirm these details earlier Monday, citing privacy concerns, O'Connor said he "obtained permission from the President and Dr. Cannard to confirm the details I am sharing."

O'Connor offered in his letter a full-throated endorsement of Dr. Cannard and his work as the neurology consultant to the White House since 2012.

"Dr. Cannard was chosen for this responsibility not because he is a movement disorder specialist, but because he is a highly trained and highly regarded neurologist here at Walter Reed and across the Military Health System, with a very wide expertise which makes him flexible to see a variety of patients and problems," he wrote.

As ABC News reported earlier on Monday, an expert in Parkinson's disease visited the White House eight times over an eight-month span between last July and March of this year, including one visit with the president's personal physician, according to White House visitor logs.

Asked repeatedly at Monday's press briefing about Cannard, Jean-Pierre refused to say if the neurologist ever treated the president or consulted on his care, citing privacy concerns, but did say Biden was not being treated for Parkinson's disease.

"You're refusing to say if he was here to evaluate the president or if he was consulting on the president's health. So, what then was that meeting about?" ABC News asked.

Jean-Pierre said she would not elaborate on the meeting "because we will not confirm or speak to names that you're providing to me. It is out of security."

As part of his annual physical exam, the president was evaluated by a neurologist who found no signs of Parkinson's, according to a summary O'Connor released in February.

"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," his report states.

Overall, the February report stated Biden, 81, continued to be "fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations."