As concerns about Joe Biden's mental health have been raised, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday's White House news briefing that Biden would not be undergoing a cognitive test as part of his impending medical checkup. Dr. Kevin O'Conner, Biden's physician, feels that Biden has shown his cognitive capacity "every day in how he works and thinks," according to Jean-Pierre, who claimed O'Conner does not think a cognitive test is required.
One reporter questioned, "Does the White House believe that the concept of the president taking a cognitive test as part of this physical is a reasonable proposal?"
Jean-Pierre said, "I am simply going to state what Dr. O'Connor told to me when [Biden's physical] was published approximately a year ago." "The President demonstrates his abilities on a daily basis by interacting with foreign leaders and making tough choices for the American people, regardless of the issue at hand—domestic or national security."
"I am going to keep it that way because that is how Dr. O'Connor sees it," she said.
Jean-Pierre said that in recent months, Biden had spoken with international leaders and travelled the nation. She claimed to have spent "countless hours" with Biden, who she described as "smart, engaged, and on top of things."
She said, "My experience with this president has been that he pushes us continually during meetings with him and his team in an attempt to get more information."
Special Counsel Robert Hur's report, which revealed that "Our inquiry discovered evidence that President Biden knowingly maintained and disseminated classified documents during his vice presidency while he was a private man," raised concerns about Biden's mental health.
The report also said that during his 2023 interviews with the special counsel, Biden's recall was "seriously restricted."
"As he did in our interview, we have also taken into consideration that, in a trial, Mr. Biden would probably portray himself to a jury as an old, kind-hearted, and forgetful guy," the Hur report said. Our views and firsthand contacts with him lead us to believe that many jurors will wish to find evidence of reasonable doubt about him. Convincing a jury to find him guilty of a severe offense requiring mental willfulness would be challenging, since he was a former president well into his seventies at the time.
One reporter questioned, "Does the White House believe that the concept of the president taking a cognitive test as part of this physical is a reasonable proposal?"
Jean-Pierre said, "I am simply going to state what Dr. O'Connor told to me when [Biden's physical] was published approximately a year ago." "The President demonstrates his abilities on a daily basis by interacting with foreign leaders and making tough choices for the American people, regardless of the issue at hand—domestic or national security."
"I am going to keep it that way because that is how Dr. O'Connor sees it," she said.
Jean-Pierre said that in recent months, Biden had spoken with international leaders and travelled the nation. She claimed to have spent "countless hours" with Biden, who she described as "smart, engaged, and on top of things."
She said, "My experience with this president has been that he pushes us continually during meetings with him and his team in an attempt to get more information."
Special Counsel Robert Hur's report, which revealed that "Our inquiry discovered evidence that President Biden knowingly maintained and disseminated classified documents during his vice presidency while he was a private man," raised concerns about Biden's mental health.
The report also said that during his 2023 interviews with the special counsel, Biden's recall was "seriously restricted."
"As he did in our interview, we have also taken into consideration that, in a trial, Mr. Biden would probably portray himself to a jury as an old, kind-hearted, and forgetful guy," the Hur report said. Our views and firsthand contacts with him lead us to believe that many jurors will wish to find evidence of reasonable doubt about him. Convincing a jury to find him guilty of a severe offense requiring mental willfulness would be challenging, since he was a former president well into his seventies at the time.
