- The emails received by Politico show that Trump’s political appointments have led career scientists to join the CDC. Accuses COVID-19 of rejecting the President’s message.
- Agency spokesman Michael Caputo’s scientific adviser, Dr. “The CDC writes me hit pieces on the administration,” Paul Alexander wrote in an email to the Gust 8.
- Capto and Alexander appear to have successfully delayed the release of the CDC report, which recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug wrongly argued by President Trump as a possible cure for COVD-19.
- “There’s nothing to go out of until I read the findings and agree … and I tweak it to make sure it’s right and balanced and ‘perfect’,” Alexander said in an email.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Trump administration officials have called on the U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention. Politico reported Friday night that scientists from a politically appointed career had accused them of trying to undermine the president’s campaign to reopen schools.
Agency spokesman Michael Caputo’s scientific adviser, Dr. Paul Alexander wrote in an August 8 email to CDC director Robert Redfield that “the CDC is writing me hit pieces on administration.” Alexander, who was appointed by Capto, a former Trump campaign official, this spring, accused scientists of “trying to hurt the president,” according to an email he received from Politico.
Caputo and his communications staff have worked to delay CDC reports that contradict President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. According to Politoco, a release was held for about a month, recommending the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug by the White House as a possible cure for COVD-19.
Reports written by career scientists, known as Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, are used to inform doctors, researchers and the general public about “how Covid-19 is spreading and who is at risk,” according to Politico. “In the Kaiser Family Foundation’s global health work, Jennifer Katz, who relied on previous reports, said politically she was going to the public health community to get scientifically tested information.
The emergency use of the drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late March but was revoked in June after it was found to be ineffective against Covid-19 with potentially fatal side effects. Some scientific studies have also shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective for COVID-19.
Aug Gust. In the e-mail, Alexander aimed specifically at a scientific report warning of the dangers of reopening schools.
“The CDC tried to report that once the children had gathered, there would be a spread and the school would reopen,” Alexander wrote. “Very deceptive and embarrassing to them by the CDC. Their motive is clear.”
Since mid-July, about 2,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in schools and campuses, according to a database maintained by the National Education Association. Dozens of reopened schools have been forced to keep students and staff separate. At least 34 people have been killed.
Alexander, in his memoir, said that any future reports related to the coronavirus “should be read by someone outside the CDC like me,” calling the previous work “outrageous” and “insane.”
“There’s nothing to go out of until I agree with reading how CDC is found, it’s written and I’m tweaking it to make sure it’s clear and balanced and ‘perfect’.” Alexander told Redfield and other officers.
In a statement to Politico, Capto described Oxford as an “educated epidemiologist.” Defended Alexander.
Caputo was appointed to his role in the health department in April and is loyal to Trump. He has worked on Republican campaigns since the 1980s and also worked as a public relations consultant for a Russian state-owned energy company in the 1990s.
Caputo also claimed that the Russia investigation and the Ukraine investigation, which led to Trump’s impeachment in 2019, were “part of a conspiracy to enrich global insiders like Hunter Biden, George Soros, and more.”
“Dr. Alexander advises me on epidemiological policy and he is encouraged to share his views with other scientists. Like all scientists, his advice is heard or rejected by his colleagues. , ”Capto said in a statement.
Norman Nernstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a leading think tank, suggested that the disclosure of political interference in the work of the CDC should be followed by legal action.
“The level of corruption associated with public health – that is, more people die because of it – is so, so, so high and so much more despicable by Trump and his minions.” He wrote on Twitter. “Action should be taken to put all these people in reckless danger.”
Trump has repeatedly made claims about the coronavirus that contradict information presented by public health experts. The president has admitted to PET journalist Bob Woodward that he wants to downplay the severity of the Ronavirus epidemic as soon as possible.
“I always wanted to play it. I still love playing it because I don’t want to panic,” Trump told Woodward on March 19.
The CDC did not respond to a request from business insiders for comment at the time of publication.
Any news advice? Email this reporter: [email protected]
