Trump Advisor Dr. Ben Carson: ‘Elderly’ Candidates ‘Absolutely’ Should Release Medical Records
Dr. Ben Carson Says Recent Medical Records Are ‘Absolutely’ Called For
Trump campaign advisor Dr. Ben Carson says any presidential candidate who is “elderly” should disclose their recent medical records. The retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon is calling on both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to make public their full and recent medical records, not ones from a year ago, Carson specified.
“I’m not talking about from a year ago or two years ago. I’m talking about currently,” Carson said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday.Â
Hillary Clinton is 68, Donald Trump is 70.
Trump campaign surrogates and supporters have been pedaling lies about Hillary Clinton’s health. Even former prosecutor and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been engaging in false speculation and rumor about the Democratic nominee.Â
Carson refused to specifically call out Giuliani, even when asked about his false statements.
“As a physician, physicians and scientists generally will not make a diagnosis based on something that they see from a long distance. They want to have the facts,” was as far as Carson was willing to go.
“So you would have no diagnosis yourself on Hillary Clinton, Dr. Carson?,” MSNBC’s Willie Geist prodded.Â
“My diagnosis would be that anybody who is elderly should expose their records and we, the people, should know what they are. Because it’s a very stressful job,” Carson responded. “It’s not an eight-hour-a-day job. It’s 24/7 and we need to make sure that that’s taken care of.”
“And you agree Donald Trump should be held to that same standard, because he hasn’t done that either?,” Geist continued.
“Absolutely, without question,” Carson said.
In July of 2015 Hillary Clinton released a letter from her internist detailing her health, including her hypothyroidism, seasonal allergies, and a blood clot she sustained in 2012 after a fall, which left her with a concussion.
In December, Donald Trump released a letter, purportedly from his gastroenterologist, stating he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” It offered little details, and the terminology was so questionable that on Tuesday CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta called it “absurd.”
On Monday, The New York Times accused both candidates of being “more secretive and selective than many recent presidential nominees in providing up-to-date details about their personal health — a particularly striking departure, experts say, given the candidates’ age.”
Here’s Carson from MSNBC Wednesday morning:
.@RealBenCarson says ‘elderly’ candidates Trump and Clinton should disclose their medical history https://t.co/4kZjR2z7E2
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) August 24, 2016
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