(Photo by Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty Images) Getty ImagesKey FactsAzar and Redfield are required to provide documents to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis by Dec. 30, after previous requests for documents and witness testimony reportedly were ignored. HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo—who is now on leave from the agency after accusing CDC staffers of “sedition”—also reportedly “aggressively bullied and retaliated against CDC staff” who spoke to the press without permission, House lawmakers allege, which they say Redfield was aware of. Former CDC officials told the New York Times earlier this month that the White House had “crippled” the agency’s authority and repeatedly meddled in the agency’s Covid-19 reports, with White House advisors Kellyanne Conway and Ivanka Trump among those who reportedly made changes. “Every time that the science clashed with the messaging, messaging won,” former CDC chief of staff Kyle McGowan told the Times. Further ReadingHouse watchdog details extensive political meddling with CDC's Covid-19 reports (Politico)‘Like a Hand Grasping’: Trump Appointees Describe the Crushing of the C.D.C.

Source: Forbes December 21, 2020 17:26 UTC