Trump-Appointed CDC Officials Reportedly Meddled With Coronavirus Reports

Topline

Trump appointed communications officials in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been looking over the agency’s weekly Covid-19 reports before they’re published, a Politico investigation found, and in some cases have successfully put pressure on scientists to change reports that would undermine President Donald Trump’s positive message about the pandemic.

Key Facts

Chief Critic

Caputo defended his team’s reviewing CDC reports. “Our intention is to make sure that evidence, science-based data drives policy through this pandemic—not ulterior deep state motives in the bowels of CDC,” he told Politico.

Key Background

Trump has publicly criticized the CDC and its guidelines since the start of the pandemic, and there seems to be an ongoing battle between the administration and the health agency. Last month, after a sudden change in testing guidance from the CDC raised alarms in the medical community, unnamed officials told the New York Times and CNN the change came from top levels of the Trump administration — a charge the administration denied. In July, the White House blocked Redfield from testifying to Congress about the safety of opening schools in the fall, and later that month the administration was reportedly trying to block “billions of dollars” in federal funding for testing and the CDC in a stimulus package proposal, a move they eventually backed away from.

Further Reading

Trump officials interfered with CDC reports on Covid-19 (Politico)

Reports: Trump Administration Pressured CDC To Change Asymptomatic Testing Guidelines (Forbes)

Report: Trump Backs Down From Attempt To Block Funding For Virus Testing, CDC (Forbes)

Trump Administration Blocks CDC Director From Testifying To Congress On Reopening Schools (Forbes)

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