Confidential Medical Records Are Private, Not Political: CCHF Responds to Doctors for Harris 

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In response to the October 13th Open Letter issued by Doctors for Harris, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom releases the following statement from Twila Brase, RN, PHN, Co-Founder and President: 

“The call for presidential candidates to release their confidential medical records is unfounded and a violation of the candidate’s medical privacy rights.  

“The claim by Doctors for Harris that ‘Vice President Kamala Harris has released a credible, transparent update on her health and medical history’ is also unfounded. There is little reason to believe that this 2-page update by a doctor – who has known her for less than four years and is in her employ – is credible or fully transparent. 

“The American people need to know the character and beliefs of presidential candidates. Would we have had a President Lincoln or a President Franklin Delano Roosevelt if their medical records were broadcast and scrutinized nationwide and available for campaigns to use for political purposes?  

“That Kamala Harris has urticaria, myopia, and annual preventive screening does not tell the American people whether she’s smart enough to lead, how she’ll handle a crisis, or if she supports the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and citizens’ rights to life and liberty. It also doesn’t tell us whether she’ll have a heart attack tomorrow. This unnecessary and incomplete overview of a candidate’s health is irrelevant and a violation of privacy rights. 

“Furthermore, the 2-page letter is not Ms. Harris’ medical record, yet Doctors for Harris boldly claim that Trump should ‘release his medical records, just as Harris has done.’ She has not done so. This Open Letter from Doctors is a dereliction of duty by those who claim the title of Medical Doctor. ‘Facts and data’ from a medical record do not a president make, nor do they set a precedent for protecting the medical privacy rights of every American, including candidates. Furthermore, one’s medical past is not one’s medical present or one’s medical future.  

“Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump should keep their confidential medical records private and out of public and news media hands. They are not for public purview and should not be used for political purposes.”