Raskin asks White House physician for ‘comprehensive cognitive assessment’ of Trump

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Friday pressed the White House physician for a full evaluation of President Trump’s cognitive abilities. 

In a letter to Sean Barbabella, a Navy captain serving as Trump’s official doctor, Raskin argued that Trump’s words and actions in recent months — particularly those surrounding the Iran War — have raised enough questions about the president’s mental acuity to merit a “comprehensive cognitive assessment.” Raskin wants the results shared publicly.

“Experts have repeatedly warned that the President has been exhibiting signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline. And, in recent days, the country has watched President Trump’s public statements and outbursts turn increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening,” Raskin, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote. 

“His apparently deteriorating condition has caused tremendous alarm across the nation (and political spectrum) about the President’s cognitive function and continuing mental fitness for the office of President, and prompted concerns about the President’s wellbeing.”

Trump rose to the White House a decade ago largely by creating a political brand that shunned convention and an impulsive communication style — revolving around social media posts delivered at all hours of the day and night — that was unprecedented. Some of those messages dabbled in racist and anti-Semitic themes.........

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