CDC officials describe intense pressure, job threats from Trump White House

[essentialsaltes]

Political infighting contributed to subpar pandemic response, officials tell House committee

Former CDC director Robert Redfield, former top deputy Anne Schuchat and others described how the Trump White House and its allies repeatedly “bullied” staff, tried to rewrite their publications and threatened their jobs in an attempt to align the CDC with the more optimistic view of the pandemic espoused by Donald Trump, the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis concluded in a report released Monday.

Several public health officials detailed a months-long campaign against Schuchat sparked by Trump appointees’ belief that her grimassessments of the pandemic reflected poorly on the president, leading Schuchat, a 32-year CDC veteran, to openly wonder if she would be fired in the summer of 2020, her colleagues told the panel.

The report also details how Trump appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services worked to wrest control of the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), which offer public updates on scientists’ findings and had been considered off-limits to political appointees for decades.

...

But Alexander’s messages [calling to change reports] continued until mid-September 2020, when his emails leaked to the press and Caputo subsequently accused CDC scientists of sedition in a Facebook Live video. Caputo took a medical leave on Sept. 16, and Alexander left the agency the same day.

see also:
FOIA results, Congressional probe show Trump appointees pressuring health experts regarding pandemic
GAO to Investigate Trump's Political Interference with CDC and FDA
Trump trashes CDC's fact-based guidance on reopening schools; CDC will rewrite them (or will it?)
CDC reports altered
Trump Admin may enact 'term limits' for scientists at FDA, CDC
CDC changed COVID-19 testing guidance due to pressure from Trump Administration

 

[seeking.IAM]

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
― George Orwell, 1984

 

[Brihaha]

Trump virtually admitted this when we heard him say "I always wanted to downplay this coronavirus" on the Woodward recording. Trump's mess of the covid pandemic response is clearly one of the reasons America voted him out of office.

 

[disciple Clint]

Trump virtually admitted this when we heard him say "I always wanted to downplay this coronavirus" on the Woodward recording. Trump's mess of the covid pandemic response is clearly one of the reasons America voted him out of office.

Trumps biggest failure was not firing Dr Fauci when he caught him in his first lie about people not needing to use masks.

 

[KCfromNC]

Trumps biggest failure was not firing Dr Fauci when he caught him in his first lie about people not needing to use masks.

Yep, should have done it right after Fauci disagreed with Donald's idea of injecting disinfectant to stop covid.

 

[disciple Clint]

Yep, should have done it right after Fauci disagreed with Donald's idea of injecting disinfectant to stop covid.

and the fable goes on and on, having been proven time and time again to have been wrongly characterized as a suggestion instead of the musing question that it obviously was, too bad the media in general does not keep the same standards for Biden and the inexplicable things he has said and done, but that would not serve the bias confirmation needs.

 

[Brihaha]

Trumps biggest failure was not firing Dr Fauci when he caught him in his first lie about people not needing to use masks.

I fail to understand how firing Fauci to install another Trump sycophant could have improved our incredibly incompetent covid response. Fauci was one of the experts whom Trump ignored most of the time. Except when Trump got jealous of the attention Fauci received from the media.

 

[disciple Clint]

I fail to understand how firing Fauci to install another Trump sycophant could have improved our incredibly incompetent covid response. Fauci was one of the experts whom Trump ignored most of the time. Except when Trump got jealous of the attention Fauci received from the media.

in retrospect we can now see that the "experts" got many things wrong. Year of COVID: Everything We Thought We Knew Was Wrong
https://710wor.iheart.com/featured/...totally-wrong-predictions-and-contradictions/

 

[The Barbarian]

Trumps biggest failure was not firing Dr Fauci when he caught him in his first lie about people not needing to use masks.

In fact, Fauci was correct, given what the data showed at that time. Only later did we learn that wearing masks also protects the wearer to a small degree. Post his statement and I'll show you.

Trump's biggest failure was his attempt to "downplay" the pandemic. That killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

 

[Vylo]

firing fauci... that man has helped literally cure 5 diseases and been awarded presidential honors. he's got more accomplishments and valor than everyone on this forum combined.

 

[disciple Clint]

In fact, Fauci was correct, given what the data showed at that time. Only later did we learn that wearing masks also protects the wearer to a small degree. Post his statement and I'll show you.

Trump's biggest failure was his attempt to "downplay" the pandemic. That killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

come on now even Fauci owned up to that being a flat out lie in an effort to preserve the limited supply of masks for the medical workers. Fauci Admits Why Americans Were Initially Misled About Wearing Masks

 

[BBAS 64]

Good Day,

After this mess will anyone take the CDC seriously..... I highly doubt it.

 

[DaisyDay]

Good Day,

After this mess will anyone take the CDC seriously..... I highly doubt it.

Baby/bathwater.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Political infighting contributed to subpar pandemic response, officials tell House committee

Former CDC director Robert Redfield, former top deputy Anne Schuchat and others described how the Trump White House and its allies repeatedly “bullied” staff, tried to rewrite their publications and threatened their jobs in an attempt to align the CDC with the more optimistic view of the pandemic espoused by Donald Trump, the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis concluded in a report released Monday.

Several public health officials detailed a months-long campaign against Schuchat sparked by Trump appointees’ belief that her grimassessments of the pandemic reflected poorly on the president, leading Schuchat, a 32-year CDC veteran, to openly wonder if she would be fired in the summer of 2020, her colleagues told the panel.

The report also details how Trump appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services worked to wrest control of the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), which offer public updates on scientists’ findings and had been considered off-limits to political appointees for decades.

...

But Alexander’s messages [calling to change reports] continued until mid-September 2020, when his emails leaked to the press and Caputo subsequently accused CDC scientists of sedition in a Facebook Live video. Caputo took a medical leave on Sept. 16, and Alexander left the agency the same day.

see also:
FOIA results, Congressional probe show Trump appointees pressuring health experts regarding pandemic
GAO to Investigate Trump's Political Interference with CDC and FDA
Trump trashes CDC's fact-based guidance on reopening schools; CDC will rewrite them (or will it?)
CDC reports altered
Trump Admin may enact 'term limits' for scientists at FDA, CDC
CDC changed COVID-19 testing guidance due to pressure from Trump Administration

What were these CDC dire estimates and how accurate were they?

Obviously this is a situation where a lot of people butted heads.

Let's dig into the articles....

 

[rambot]

and the fable goes on and on, having been proven time and time again to have been wrongly characterized as a suggestion instead of the musing question that it obviously was, too bad the media in general does not keep the same standards for Biden and the inexplicable things he has said and done, but that would not serve the bias confirmation needs.

Yes. EXACTLY what he said was SUPER SUPER reasonable. Because yet again Trump is being bullied by the press and everyone is escape goating him.

It's so strange that you would defend his super clear statement but not actually provide the words he used. Do you happen to remember the exact words he used? Those super reasonable ones?

 

[Ana the Ist]

firing fauci... that man has helped literally cure 5 diseases and been awarded presidential honors. he's got more accomplishments and valor than everyone on this forum combined.

Also quite likely aided and assisted in getting funding for a virus that killed millions.

 

[rambot]

Good Day,

After this mess will anyone take the CDC seriously..... I highly doubt it.

I mean why listen to doctors and people who study data? Really we should be listening to the news. It doesn't even matter which news.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Baby/bathwater.

I understand how science works....you get data, you can make a picture...you get more data....the picture changes....sometimes into something entirely different. I can barely remember pictures of dinosaurs standing up using their tails like a third leg for balance....this changed and looks silly now.


These people knew that they would get more data....why not just say you don't know when you don't know? The constant change in information and advice made it look like they were clueless. It didn't help. After a year....people didn't take them seriously. Do you even know where the "6ft distancing rule came from"?

 

[Ana the Ist]

It doesn't even matter which news.

It really doesn't.

 

[Ana the Ist]

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
― George Orwell, 1984

Which party does this refer to? The one that bungled the covid response....or the one that doesn't know what a woman is?