The White House's lack of transparency regarding classified documents found at President Joe Biden's home and former office has followed a tactic used regarding the president's physical exams, some Republicans say.
Classified documents were found in November at an office at Biden's Washington think tank. The news, however, didn't become public until earlier this month.
As for the 80-year-old Biden's health, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said the president would have an exam by the end of January, which ends Tuesday.
"He will have one before the — by the time the end of this month is out," said Jean-Pierre, who has been asked about Biden's physical examination six times this month. "He — we will share the information. We will have more to share about that before the month is over."
Biden disclosed his last physical on Nov. 19, 2021, updating health information he previously passed on in December 2019, the Washington Examiner reported.
Jean-Pierre also has cited White House physician Kevin O'Connor's "very extensive" 2021 memorandum regarding the president's health. However, O'Connor did not brief reporters directly when the commander in chief had COVID-19 last summer.
Biden's verbal gaffes and public missteps during his first two years in office "certainly" are cause for concern, Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., told the Examiner.
"I think it would be important to see a very thorough and comprehensive cognitive function study that is released with transparency to the general public," said DesJarlais, a former family medicine practitioner before he was elected to Congress in 2010.
"The American people want to know that their commander in chief is fully capable of performing at the highest level to protect the safety and security of our nation."
O'Connor's six-page report detailed Biden's irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, acid reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis, and a hot-cold sensation in both of his feet, the Examiner reported.
Biden, himself, has added to confusion about his physical examination. He told reporters last Thanksgiving that "part" of his annual checkup had been "already done" and that he would complete it "before the end of the year."
"If you watched the president in November, you saw that he had — he traveled to Indonesia, Cambodia, North Africa," Jean-Pierre said during a Jan. 6 briefing. "He traveled across the country. And so, he had a very hectic schedule.
"I think that plays into what his doctors have said, right? His doctor has said ... he's in good health, he's in very good health, and that [he] leads an active life, as we saw in November and in December."
The president, after next month's State of the Union, is expected to announce his plans to seek reelection in 2024. He would be 82 at the start of a second term.
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