Political appointees changed or held up at least five reports and tried to interfere with at least 19 different reports out of concerns they would harm Trump politically, former CDC personnel said.
By Jeannie Baumann, Bloomberg News The CDC bowed to the Trump administration’s demands to change the editorial process of its weekly scientific journal after warnings from then-health secretary Alex Azar to “get in line,” a House investigation found.
the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’s procedures was one of several instances of political interference by former President Donald Trump’s aides that the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis identified in a report released Monday. The latest subcommittee report details widespread attempts by Trump-era political appointees within the Department of Health and Human Services to interfere with the CDC, including tampering with the science and misuse of the agency’s quarantine authority in a way an agency division director described as “morally wrong.”“This prioritization of politics, contempt for science, and refusal to follow the advice of public health experts harmed the nation’s ability to respond effectively to the coronavirus crisis and put Americans at risk,” Rep. James E. Clyburn , chairman of the subcommittee, said in a statement.crisis, we must also continue to work to safeguard scientific integrity and restore the American people’s trust in our public health institutions,” he said. Azar and other political appointees called for MMWR editorial process changes in May 2020 out of concern the findings put Trump’s White House at a political disadvantage, the congressional panel said. The changes granted political appointees at HHS access to summaries of what was coming out in the MMWRs for the first time, which the committee said “ultimately precipitated HHS officials’ attempts to interfere with the MMWRs over the following months.”Azar told Bloomberg Law on Monday that he “never pressured” Trump’s CDC director, Robert Redfield, “to modify the content of a single MMWR scientific article.” “I always regarded the MMWR and other peer-reviewed scientific publications as sacrosanct,” Azar said in an email. “Indeed, I worked directly with Dr. Redfield to ensure that processes were in place to protect the integrity of the peer-review process for the MMWR when an internal CDC procedural defect was identified in early May 2020.” The MMWR has long been considered the “voice of the CDC” and serves as the agency’s essential source for disseminating information quickly to inform public health and evidence-based decisions that drive policy. It was a report in the MMWR that in part prompted Anthony S. Fauci to pivot his career toward HIV research in 1981. The allegations stem from former CDC Chief of Staff Kyle McGowan and Deputy Chief of Staff Amanda Campbell’s testimony to the House panel, in which they said Azar warned that “if the CDC would not get in line, then HHS would take control of approving the publication of the MMWRs.” McGowan and Campbell, who joined the agency during the Trump administration, left several months after those May 2020 allegations and started their own consulting firm. Political appointees successfully changed or held up at least five MMWR reports and tried to interfere with at least 19 different reports out of concerns they would harm Trump politically, McGowan and Campbell said in the subcommittee report. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dems 'go to court' if Trump tries to run out the clock on subpoena: HoyerThe senior Democrat said Trump could be brought to court 'held in contempt and be ordered to testify' before the committee.
Read more »
Trump Org. charged Secret Service as much as $1,185 to stay at Trump hotelDuring Donald Trump's presidency, Trump hotels charged the Secret Service nightly rates as high as $1,185 per room, more than five times the recommended government rate.
Read more »
CDC officials describe intense pressure, job threats from Trump White HouseTrump appointees oversaw a concerted effort to restrict immigration at the U.S.-Mexican border during the pandemic, change scientific reports and muzzle top CDC officials, according to emails, text messages and interviews gathered by a congressional panel.
Read more »
Trump officials interfered with CDC guidance for political purposes, House panel findsThe Trump administration regularly interfered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) process for developing and issuing guidance about the coronavirus, changed scientific reports and undermined top public health officials, a congressional panel said Monday. The House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis said interviews, emails and other documents obtained by the panel…
Read more »
Trump admin tried to shelve findings that discredited COVID drug: ReportCDC officials were bullied and findings were manipulated by officials within the Trump administration, according to a new House report.
Read more »
Trump’s mockery haunts one of his favorite GOP Senate candidatesJ.D. Vance has yet to live down his embarrassing flip-flop on Donald Trump — or the ex-president's derision that followed it. (via MaddowBlog)
Read more »