Most people suspect that the text was written by Trump himself. I did not know until today that Trevor Noah of The Daily Show did a hilarious segment on this note.
Is this text fake? Consider: The message lacks a signature and is written in a very unprofessional fashion. Why does the phrase "in mid 2013" get its own paragraph? "I discussed with the patient at length about the alternatives and we elected to maintain her on the present medications with only increasing her medication for the seizures." Does that garbled syntax sound like the writing of someone who attended an institution of higher learning?
There is no logo for the Mount Rico Medical Group at the top of the page, and none of the small-type official filing information that appears on my own medical documents. Why would a "samizdat" release by Hillary's enemies redact the SSN and the account number?
Bardack's actual report on Hillary Clinton is here. Her real diagnosis is very different.
This forged letter is part of a much larger right-wing smear campaign intended to imply that Hillary Clinton is a very sick lady. This Kos diary summarizes the various manifestations of this meme.
For a while, I presumed that the fake Bardack letter was written by Trump's old friend Roger Stone, who has been concocting these things since the Watergate era. (Not too long ago, I received a private message from someone who knew Stone back then: Young RS was incredibly proud of his latest creation, a letter of endorsement from a fake group called "Gays for McGovern." Keep in mind that the year was 1972; attitudes were different.)
Yep, this sure seemed like a Stone job. But then something strange happened...
Yesterday, I was about to reprimand my dog George for a small accident in the house. He then showed me a letter that he had somehow fetched from the mailbox...
The letter reads as follows:
HAROLD BORNSTEIN, M.D., D.V.M.A closer shot of this mysterious letter is at the bottom of this post. I invite the reader to study this message for any telltale signs of forgery.
LISA R. BARDACK, M.D., D.V.M.
244 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
August 7, 2016
To Whom My Concern:
We are famous doctors who have recently become veterinarians and we have examined a rat terrier named George owned by Joseph Cannon. We are pleased to report that George is the only dog in Maryland whose poop is so good-smelling that he probably should be allowed to go anywhere he wants to go, even in the house. We have never before seen such astonishingly excellent poop.
In our professional judgment, it would be a great mistake to get mad at George if he should have an accident indoors.
Also his pee smells like flowers. If allowed to pee in the house, George, we can state unequivocally, will create the best-smelling carpets in the United States of America.
To keep George in super amazing condition, we recommend large amounts of beef from Mission Barbecue and also roasted chicken breast, and please don’t mix it with all of that oatmeal and green beans.
We feel that George is a much more awesomely terrific dog than is Wally, that stupid stuck-up beagle down the street who thinks he’s so great but he’s not and that’s why they make him spend so much time in the yard because he’s a bad dog. #stupidwally
Harold N. Bornstein, M.D. F.A.C.G.
Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
Lisa R. Bardack. M.D.
Chairman of the Department of Medicine
Mount Rico Medical Group
To me, the "George" letter seems every bit as convincing as the original message from Dr. Bornstein attesting to Donald Trump's amazingly excellent health. Moreover, it seems every bit as credible as the Bardack report attesting to Hillary Clinton's alleged dementia.
If there are other "To Whom My Concern" letters floating around out there, please share!
Are you telling me I have to find all three letters either truthful, or fraudulent, because I believe George's letter 99.9%
ReplyDeleteZinger approves this letter of rat terrier recommendation!
ReplyDeletelmao at "To Whom My Concern" It smells, but not of roses...
My cat Socks (yes, named after a very famous White House resident) tells me dogs are innately too dumb to poopitrate an intelligent scam. Suggest you research PUtin ties George may have developed during past business trips.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
Peg
Sorry Losers! Trump is the healthiest and HRC is the smelliest! Read it and Weep! This level of propaganda might have fooled people in the dark ages, hence this is why conservatives believe it today.
ReplyDeleteAs a psychologist now practicing dog whispering via telepathy, I can attest that George's brain is the best ever in a canine. That Wally, on the other hand, is a nut job.
ReplyDeleteSi Ko, PhD
The letter head is very unprofessional. Who, especially a female, uses the term 'Chairman"? Why are phrases broken up and spread over 2 lines? It should be like this:
ReplyDeleteJim Jones M.D.
Chair, Department of Medicine
Jonestown Clinic.
The above would be centered, Also, additional credentials, such as FACP, would likely be used by anyone H would be seeing. And only a neurologist would manage a seizure disorder, usually in a Neurology department, distinct from a dept of medicine
A note like this would not exist. If it was an office note, it would look like the notes spit out of every EMR platform. It wouldn't have the doctor's name at the top. If it was a letter, it would be written in the form of a letter, not a SOAP note.
ReplyDeleteBobNP and mdmdstork...I am grateful for your analyses.
ReplyDeleteThe "George" letter is starting to look like the most persuasive of the three...
What about the typeface? Is it one that's actually AVAILABLE to George? Huh?
ReplyDeleteWe've seen the kind of damage done by wrong typefaces appearing in letters.
George! Don't give my rattie mix, Buddy, any ideas! He also thinks his poop smells like roses. He also seems to think, if the door isn't open, he should perfume the house with impunity.
ReplyDeleteOldCoastie, has Buddy produced any notes from presidential doctors?
ReplyDeleteIf so, I sense a pattern...
I don't buy it. Everyone knows, as some people have told me, that dogs only use non-proportional fonts and prefer Courier over Times New Roman 10 to 1.
ReplyDelete