Top Trump administration health officials were subpoenaed by House Democrats Monday after an investigation revealed “extensive” political interference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Over a four-month period, as coronavirus cases and deaths increased across the country,” Trump Those appointed by the administration attempted to modify or block at least 13 scientific reports related to the virus, ” the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis said in a letter.
The committee chair, Rep. James Clyburn (DS.C.), said he is seeking complete, unedited documents from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield
Robert Redfield CDC Panel Recommends People 75 and Over Certain Key Frontline Workers Next in Line for Vaccination CDC Panel Votes to Recommend Moderna Vaccine for Emergencies The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – Congress Splits to COVID-19 help, omnibus deal MORE, after “HHS has made it clear that it will not voluntarily provide a timely and complete response to the Select Subcommittee’s requests.”
An HHS spokesperson denied there was any political interference, saying the agency was “extremely cooperative” in the investigation after providing the subcommittee with 14,000 pages of documents in the past five weeks.
“While the administration focuses on vaccination shots, the subcommittee is targeting cheap shots to make headlines and mislead the American people,” the spokesman said.
In the letter to Azar and Redfield, Clyburn said political officials were targeting reports that provided evidence of the virus’s “early spread” across the country and its “massive spread” this summer, which they believe is “the wrong message” about it. government policy.
The meddling campaign was led by HHS Deputy Public Affairs Secretary Michael Caputo and his science adviser Paul Alexander, who spent months trying to block or influence the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Some of the reports that have been targeted include: an MMWR regarding hydroxychloroquine prescribing trends; a report on fabric face covers; and efforts to reduce transmission of the coronavirus during the April 7 Milwaukee primaries.
According to documents obtained by the committee, these efforts involved numerous senior officials at CDC and HHS.
Both Alexander and Caputo have since left their positions after a series of controversies. The committee recently revealed that Alexander was pushing for one herd immunity strategy to respond to the coronavirus.
Clyburn said the politicians also sought to mistreat career scientists by retaliating against employees who attempted to provide truthful information to the public.
Clyburn said the subcommittee needs the documents to understand “ who in the Trump administration was responsible for this political pressure campaign, whether it was intended to paralyze the nation’s coronavirus response in a misguided attempt to achieve herd immunity, and what steps to take. must be taken to end this scandalous behavior and protect American lives. “
Updated at 1:05 PM