Leading Trump officials were summoned by House Democrats on Monday after an investigation revealed “extensive” political intervention in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Over a four-month period, as coronavirus cases and deaths have increased across the country, Trump The administration has tried to amend or block at least 13 scientific reports on the virus, “said a letter from the House Select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis.
The chairman of the committee, Representative James Clyburn (DS.C.), said he was requesting complete, unwritten documents from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar, and the director of the CDC. Robert Redfield
Robert Redfield CDC Panel Recommends People 75 Years and Older, Some Essential Front-Line Workers to Be Next in Line for CDC Group Vaccination Votes to Recommend Modern Vaccine for Emergency Use Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – Congress is heading to improve COVID-19, omnibus agreement MORE, after “HHS has made it clear that it will not provide a timely and complete response to the requests of the voluntarily selected subcommittee”.
An HHS spokesman denied any political interference and said the agency had been “extremely cooperative” with the investigation, giving the subcommittee 14,000 pages of documents in the past five weeks.
“While the administration is focused on vaccines, the subcommittee is focusing on cheap photos to create headlines and mislead the American people,” the spokesman said.
In a letter to Azar and Redfield, Clyburn said politically appointed people had targeted reports of “early spread” of the virus across the country and “massive spread” this summer, which they believed sent the “wrong message.” about administration policies.
The interference campaign was led by HHS Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo and his scientific adviser Paul Alexander, who for months tried to block or influence the CDC’s weekly report on morbidity and mortality (MMWR).
Some of the targeted reports include: an MMWR on hydroxychloroquine prescription trends; a report on canvas front coverings; and efforts to mitigate coronavirus transmission during the April 7 primary election in Milwaukee.
According to documents obtained by the committee, these efforts involved many senior officials at the CDC and HHS.
Both Alexander and Caputo left their positions after a series of controversies. The committee recently revealed that Alexander requested a herd immunity strategy to respond to coronavirus.
Clyburn said the named politicians also tried to block scientists from their careers, taking revenge against employees who tried to provide truthful information to the public.
Clyburn said the subcommittee needed documents to understand “who in the Trump administration was responsible for this campaign of political pressure, if it was intended to paralyze the nation’s coronavirus response in a wrong effort to obtain herd immunity and what measures.” they must be taken to end this outrageous conduct and protect American lives. “
Updated at 13:05