Reader Angelica has asked us to do something on the questions about Hillary Clinton’s health. Since it’s a complicated story, we’ll break it in two. First, let’s talk about the claims, themselves. There appear to be two primary proponents of the issue. One is “Dr. Drew” Pinsky, an internist and longtime radio and TV personality. The other is former New York Mayor, and sometime presidential candidate, Rudy Guiliani.
Guiliani says the media are ignoring an important story, according to Politico.
The former New York City mayor went on to say the media fail to point out how she has not held a news conference in over 200 days and her “several signs of illness.”
The media “fails to point out several signs of illness by her; all you gotta do is go online,” Giuliani said, before being interrupted by host Shannon Bream, who pointed out that Clinton’s campaign has said there is no factual evidence to support those claims.
“Go online and put down ‘Hillary Clinton illness,’ take a look at the videos yourself,” Giuliani continued.
Giuliani’s comments are the latest from the Trump campaign questioning Clinton’s stamina and health. Last week, Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News that Clinton “doesn’t really do that much. She’ll give a speech on a teleprompter, and then she’ll disappear. I don’t know if she goes home [and] goes to sleep. I think she sleeps.”. . .
Giuliani showed no signs of backing away on Monday, remarking on “Fox & Friends” that Clinton “looked tired” and “looked sick” at a news conference with police officers last week in New York City.
We took Guiliani’s advice and Googled “Hillary Clinton Illness.” What you get is a two minute video with four instances of Clinton clearing her throat while speaking. Then, for some reason, they throw in the shot of Marco Rubio’s famous “water bottle” episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1WNa4kKZHM
A second video is only a minute long. It’s just a computer voice “reporting” on Guiliani’s claim.
A third seven minute video begins with a self-promoting commercial by Christopher Greene. Then he goes on to explain that she will not live long enough to become “Vagina in Commander in Thief.” He says his “heart goes out to Hillary Rodham Clinton,” then went back to repeating Guiliani’s claims. Then he quoted Dr. Drew Pinski. He really had nothing in the way of proof, or even detailed claims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC9LlyQ5BqI
Another five minute video begins—ironically—with the presenter coughing. He claims to be quoting a “whistleblower,” saying Hillary is frail, but it rambles on about unrelated issues, including claiming that if Hillary died that Obama would continue to be president. This is someone who claims to know anything about the Constitution. Then he went off about Jesus and heaven and hell.
Most of the other videos are too long for most people to bother with. PLEASE—if anyone knows of a DETAILED and objective video, please let us know in the comments below. I did check out one of the longer videos (27 minutes). In it, Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy started talking about the issue, but then said people shouldn’t be wasting time discussing health issues.
This is not to say that health issues are not important. President Woodrow Wilson was so incapacitated that his wife apparently ran the country for his last year. Although, it’s hard to believe that could happen today. Secrets just cannot be kept, and if something did happen to Hillary, we would end up with the much more popular Tim Kaine as president!
Wilson had a massive stroke on October 2, 1919. His wife, Edith, who had been acting as his Chief of Staff, simply restricted contact with Woodrow, and became de facto president. She even toyed with the idea of having him run for a third term in 1920. He died in 1924.
People have also brought up the fact that Franklin Roosevelt was much more ill than people thought. He delivered his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1941, and died of a brain hemorrhage on April 12. He was re-elected for an unprecedented fourth term, because people felt the combination of being in the middle of the Second World War, and still struggling with the effects of the Great Depression required the experience only Roosevelt had. It’s important to note that he was not incapacitated mentally until the moment of his death.
Up to this point, all we have is Guiliani pointing to some coughing, and others quoting Guiliani pointing to some coughing. But where did it begin? Apparently, “Dr. Drew” Pinski kicked things off on the radio, as Fox News reports.
Dr. Drew Pinsky dropped a bombshell on a California radio show this week, saying he’s “gravely concerned” about Hillary Clinton’s health.
The famous TV doctor was actually asked to be on KABC’s “McIntyre in the Morning” show to debunk questions about the 68-year-old Clinton’s health.
But instead, Pinsky said he’s become concerned about Clinton’s health and the medical care she has received after reviewing the records that have been made public.
He said that his colleague, Dr. Robert Huizenga, expressed similar worries. . .
He said Clinton had two episodes of deep venus thrombosis, or blood clots in her legs. . . After Clinton fell and hit her head in 2012, she suffered a “transverse sinus thrombosis,” which he called an “exceedingly rare clot” that he has only come across once in his career.
He said in his estimation, the earlier treatments she received may have led to problems with her “coagulation system.”
“So the very medicine doctors are using may be causing this problem and they’re using an old fashioned medicine to treat it – what is going on with her health care? Maybe they have reasons, but at a distance, it looks bizarre.”. . .
In campaign speeches, Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that Clinton does not have the “stamina” to be president.
That article includes a video of the interview with Dr. Drew. In it, he says that Hillary’s health issues are not a concern, and that a blood clot in the leg is quite common. Pinsky’s complaint is not about Hillary’s health. It’s about what he considers poor medical care, pointing to results reportedly from Hillary’s physician.
Also in the article from Fox News is Hillary’s doctor’s response.
Clinton’s doctor, Lisa Bardack, released a statement reiterating the candidate’s “excellent health.”
“I have recently been made aware of allegedly ‘leaked’ medical documents regarding Secretary Clinton with my name on them. These documents are false, were not written by me and are not based on any medical facts,” she wrote.
“To reiterate what I said in my previous statement, Secretary Clinton is in excellent health and fit to serve as President of the United States.”
And, finally, Trump supporter Ben Carson refused to comment on Clinton’s health, saying both “elderly” candidates should be examined and release the results.
Not only should Hillary Clinton release a new health report confirming her fitness to be commander in chief, so should Donald Trump, Ben Carson said Wednesday.
Carson, a retired world-renowned neurosurgeon who supports Trump, called it “common sense” for those running for the White House to “disclose their medical history,” “particularly if they’re elderly.”. . .
For his part, Carson declined to engage on speculation from fellow Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani on the state of Clinton’s health.
“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,” Carson remarked.
Panelist Willie Geist pressed, “So you would have no diagnosis yourself on Hillary Clinton, Dr. Carson?
“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 said. “It’s not an eight-hour-a-day job. It’s 24/7 and we need to make sure that that taken care of.”
Geist responded, “And you agree Donald Trump should be held to that same standard, because he hasn’t done that either?”
“Absolutely, without question,” Carson said.
Carson’s not the only one who is commenting on both “elderly” candidates. Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told Rachel Maddow that she thinks Trump should also release more medical information.
“If he was elected, Donald Trump would be the oldest person to ever be sworn in as president,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said in an interview with Conway on her show Wednesday night. “Whether or not he’s going to try to make Hillary Clinton’s health the issue, doesn’t he owe it to the American people to release an actual medical report, a more credible, more complete statement?”
Conway responded, “perhaps,” before adding that she wanted “to say something about Hillary Clinton’s health. . .It’s not an issue that I care to comment on, because I’m not a doctor. She’s not my patient. . . .”
“Why has Donald Trump been seeing a gastroenterologist for 35 years?” Maddow queried.
Conway responded, “Oh, that I don’t know for sure. There are certain things I just haven’t learned in the last week, Rachel, I promise.”
“As the campaign manager, can I please make a request?” Maddow asked Conway, suggesting the release of a “more substantial” medical history.
“I will pass on the request. And I assure you that he does have doctors — he has doctors and physicians,” Conway said. “And I want to also add one more thing. I was told by a different anchor last night on a different network, that Hillary’s doctors have released her part of her medical information, her health history, and that she’s in good health. And I say great, because I want her to be in excellent health.”
We’ll discuss responses to the Hillary Health issue in the next installment.
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