The latest on the Brewer health story

by David Safier

Team Brewer may have done enough to put questions about her health to rest in most of the MSM, but one part of the story remains unanswered.

The story of Dr. Gordi S. Khera's satement that Brewer is in "excellent medical health" was carried in most AZ papers. Here is the Star's version:

Gov. Jan Brewer's doctor released a statement today declaring she is in "excellent medical health.

Dr. Gordi S. Khera said he has treated Brewer for 10 years and said she has been "very vigilant" about maintaining her health.

He said she does not have any medical conditions that would keep her from fulfilling her gubernatorial duties.

The release came after former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and investigative journalist John Dougherty posted on social-media sites that the governor had a serious illness that could keep her from serving her entire term.

Khera said that if any issue should arise that would interfere with her ability to serve, the governor has asked that he work with her to make a public disclosure.

Dougherty's recent statement about Brewer's possible thyroid cancer biopsy is below, after some of my analysis.

I don't know if it's relevant information, but Khera is Brewer's cardiologist. It may be he's also serving as her primary care physician, based on his statement that "he's coordinated medical care for Brewer for about 10 years." (Does that mean he's coordinated all her care, or just care related to her heart condition? The statement is unclear, possibly purposely unclear.) It's certainly important that the statement come from someone who looks at the whole person and has the overall responsibility for her health, not just health issues related to her heart.

It's important to note that no article mentions the topic of a thyroid cancer biopsy. It would be very easy for Dr. Khera to throw in a statement saying she hasn't had a biopsy, or even a statement that she had one but it came back negative. The absence of those statements leaves the question wide open.

John Dougherty — who, if you don't know his history, is a nationally respected investigative reporter who broke the Keating 5 story along with other important stories — states, based on "records and interviews with sources inside and outside her administration," that Brewer had a biopsy September 20. Here's the whole statement from his InvestigativeMedia Facebook page.

Governor Brewer received a thyroid biopsy on Sept. 20, according to records and interviews with sources inside and outside her administration. The biopsy was likely conducted at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, where the governor was taken twice in one day in late Sept. Official office photo shows Brewer wearing bandage on her neck on Sept. 21 in Tucson. She's wearing the same outfit as in the KOLD TV interview that also shows bandage. The KOLD interview was not aired until Oct. 7.

That's pretty specific information. Simple logic tells me Dougherty wouldn't destroy his credibility, which could hurt his ability to work as a reporter, by blowing smoke on this issue. If Howard Fischer or any other respected reporter gave information based on "records and interviews with sources inside and outside her administration," I wouldn't take it as the gospel truth, but I'd certainly give it a great deal of credence. I give the same credence to Dougherty's statement. It needs to be explored further to see if it's true or false.

So there we have it. Brewer's cardiologist says her health is "excellent" but so far as I know has released no records. Dougherty says she received a thyroid biopsy on September 20. Both statements could be correct, but Dr. Gordi S. Khera's statement is very general and Dougherty's is based on sources and not hard evidence — unless there's something in the "records" he hasn't revealed yet. There is plenty we still don't know about the health of a person who may be elected to a four year term as Governor.

NOTE: BfA has been accused, along with other blogs, of creating a sensationalistic story about Brewer's health which has no basis, and the Star and others have been quick to rush to Brewer's defense. My feeling is, the papers have been derilict in their journalistic duties by not asking Brewer a simple, straightforward question about a thyroid biopsy, then publishing her "No Comment" until she agrees to answer. And I would also say, John Dougherty was interviewed on this topic on Phoenix Public Television,who took him and his allegations seriously, and the Tucson Weekly believes the story is fit to print. Since the Weekly has done more important, responsible reporting than the Star lately, I consider the Weekly's decision to write about the story significant.

Since Dougherty mentions the bandage on Brewer's neck again, I'm reposting the photo of Brewer with a bandage as well as a photo from a web page describing a Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the Thyroid Gland, with the needle entering in the spot where Brewer is wearing a bandage.