THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S

IN THE NATION'S CORONAVIRUS

RESPONSE

STAFF ANALYSIS

COVIDOVERSIGHT

COVIDOVERSIGHT

CORONAVIRUS.HOUSE.GOV

PATTERN OF POLITICAL INTERFERENCE

OCTOBER 2, 2020 SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
1 

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis examined the Trump 

Administration’s failed public health response to the coronavirus crisis, which has led to the 

deaths of more than 207,000 Americans. The analysis demonstrates that over the last eight 

months, the Administration engaged in a persistent pattern of political interference—repeatedly 

overruling and sidelining top scientists and undermining Americans’ health to advance the 

President’s partisan agenda. 

The Administration’s interference has occurred both in public view and in private, led by 

President Trump, Vice President Pence, White House officials, and political appointees at the 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other agencies. The apparent goal of this 

unprecedented, coordinated attack on our nation’s public health agencies during the pandemic 

was, in the President’s words, to “play it down.” 

The Select Subcommittee documented at least 47 separate incidents of political 

interference in the Administration’s coronavirus response spanning from February

through September 2020. These incidents have degraded every major facet of the 

Administration’s public health response, including efforts to provide Americans access to testing

and personal protective equipment (PPE), develop treatments and vaccines, and provide 

scientifically sound advice to the public on masks, social distancing, and other steps to stay safe. 

As Election Day approaches, documented examples of political interference have 

increased, with at least 17 instances in August and September alone. 

For example, political appointees have: 

• Pressured health experts to adopt the Administration’s talking points, even

when they conflict with the science;

• Criticized, sidelined, and fired experts who insisted on sharing accurate

scientific information with the public;

• Altered, delayed, and suppressed guidance and scientific reports on testing,

protecting children, reopening schools, voting safely, and other topics;

• Authorized questionable virus treatments over the objections of scientists;

• Resisted efforts to ensure the safe development of a vaccine; and

• Diverted $265 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an ad campaign to

“defeat despair and inspire hope” weeks before Election Day.

The Select Subcommittee’s analysis is based on public reporting and the Subcommittee’s 

investigations. It includes instances where the Administration actively interfered in the nation’s 

public health response through executive action or public or private pressure. It does not capture 

each instance in which President Trump or his appointees downplayed the danger of the virus to 

the public, made false and misleading statements about the science, and misstated key facts about 

the Administration’s response. 
2 

Date Political Interference

1. February 20, 

2020 

The Administration Ignores CDC Advice to Separate Infected Cruise 

Ship Passengers. The Washington Post reports that following a 

coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship outside of 

Japan, a top Trump Administration official overruled CDC’s 

recommendation to separate infected and non-infected passengers onto 

different flights.i

2. February 25, 

2020 

President Trump Threatens to Fire a CDC Official for Sharing 

Accurate Information. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of CDC’s 

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, warned that 

the American public should “prepare with the expectation that this could 

be bad.”ii The Wall Street Journal reports the comments prompted 

President Trump to call HHS Secretary Alex Azar threatening to fire 

Dr. Messonnier. Later that day, Secretary Azar tried to walk back 

Dr. Messonnier’s statements.iii

3. March – April 

2020 

The White House Blocks a National Testing Plan Because “Blue 

States” Appear Most Impacted. Vanity Fair reports that White House 

senior advisor Jared Kushner convened a working group at the White 

House in March and April that designed a national testing plan, but the 

Administration ultimately dropped the plan because political aides felt it 

was more advantageous to blame Democratic governors.iv

4. March 5, 2020 The Administration Delays a CDC Travel Alert. CNN reports that 

CDC planned to post a global travel alert on March 5 that would have 

urged precautions for international travel anywhere in the world, but the 

Trump Administration delayed the alert by nearly a week.v

5. March 7, 2020 The Administration Overrules CDC Officials on a Travel Advisory 

for the Elderly. The Associated Press reports that the White House 

overruled CDC officials who sought to recommend that the elderly and 

others more susceptible to the virus should avoid flying on commercial 

flights during the pandemic. While the Administration later suggested 

that vulnerable populations should consider not traveling, it resisted the 

stricter guidance proposed by CDC.vi

6. March 9 –

May 29, 2020 

The White House “Muzzled” CDC Briefings. Following a March 9 

briefing in which Dr. Messonnier accurately warned that coronavirus 

would rapidly spread in the United States, CDC stopped providing public 

briefings about the pandemic for more than two months. CNN reports that 

“CDC officials said they’ve been ‘muzzled’ and that their agency’s efforts 

to mount a coordinated response to the Covid-19 pandemic were 

hamstrung by a White House whose decisions are driven by politics rather 

than science.”vii
3 

Date Political Interference

7. March 19 – 21, 

2020 

The White House Refuses to Coordinate Procurement and 

Distribution of PPE to Address Shortages. As HHS’s Strategic 

National Stockpile was depleted of PPE in March,viii calls arose for the 

federal government to take a central role in procuring and distributing 

supplies. President Trump refused, saying on March 19 that the federal 

government is “not a shipping clerk.”ix Vanity Fair reports that, on 

March 21, Mr. Kushner rebuffed offers from private sector groups to help 

address supply problems, stating: “The federal government is not going 

to lead this response. It’s up to the states to figure out what they want to 

do.” Despite widespread concerns that states were bidding against each 

other for PPE and calls to invoke the Defense Production Act, 

Mr. Kushner said: “Free markets will solve this. That is not the role of 

government.”x

8. April 2020 The White House Quashes Plan to Have the Postal Service Send 

Masks to Every U.S. Household. The White House blocked plans to 

send 650 million reusable masks to all U.S. households through the Postal 

Service in April, instead deciding to privately send masks to the private 

sector, schools, and other community organizations. An Administration 

official told the Washington Post this change was due to the “concern 

from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Office of 

the Vice President that households receiving masks might create concern 

or panic.”xi

9. April – May 

2020 

President Trump Contradicted Experts and Pushed to Reopen the 

Economy Without a Plan to Stay Safe. President Trump repeatedly 

pushed to reopen and lift shutdown orders—despite warnings from White 

House Coronavirus Task Force members Dr. Anthony Fauci and 

Dr. Deborah Birx that containment measures were still needed in hot 

spots. The New York Times reports that most states that started to reopen 

in early May did not meet the Task Force’s recommended criteria for 

reopening.xii In pushing to reopen, President Trump downplayed the risk 

from the virus, saying “People die from the flu. But we’ve never closed 

down the country for the flu.”xiii Bob Woodward later revealed that 

President Trump acknowledged privately on February 7 that the 

coronavirus was “more deadly than even your strenuous flus” and that 

“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed.”xiv

10. April 14, 2020 The Administration Halts Funding to the World Health Organization 

(WHO). Politico reports that the Administration halted funding to WHO, 

following President Trump’s criticism of the organization. Defunding 

WHO is counter to the pandemic preparedness plan the Trump 

Administration drafted in 2017, which advocated for “expanded 

international coordination on pandemic preparedness and response” and 

called for “continued support” for WHO.xv
4 

Date Political Interference

11. April 17 – 20, 

2020 

President Trump Removes an HHS Official for Seeking Rigorous 

Vetting of a Potentially Dangerous Drug, Hydroxychloroquine. The 

New York Times reports that Dr. Rick Bright was ousted as Director of the 

Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) 

for refusing to push hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Bright stated that the 

Administration put “politics and cronyism ahead of science.”xvi

12. April 21 – 22, 

2020 

CDC Weakens Safety Protocols for Meat Processing Plants Following 

Intervention by the USDA Secretary. MSNBC reports that following a 

meeting with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, CDC Director Robert 

Redfield’s office directed CDC staff to revise the language on its own 

coronavirus safety protocols for a South Dakota Smithfield meat 

processing plant to make the public health guidance appear as optional 

suggestions.xvii

13. Early May

2020 

Administration Officials Shelve CDC Guidance on Safe Reopening. 

The Associated Press reports that CDC intended to release its Guidance 

for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework on May 1, 

but the White House blocked them, calling the document “overly 

prescriptive.” CDC scientists were told the guidance “would never see 

the light of day” amid concerns from political appointees about damage to 

the economy.xviii

14. May 2020 Secretary Azar and Other HHS Officials Seek to Influence CDC 

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR). Politico reports 

that Secretary Azar and other HHS political appointees believed an 

accurate CDC report about the spread of the coronavirus was “implying 

that the Trump administration moved too slowly to respond to the 

outbreak.” Around this time, HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs 

Michael Caputo and his advisor, Dr. Paul Alexander, began pushing to 

influence CDC’s MMWRs.xix 

15. May 1, 2020 The Administration Cancels National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Grant for Coronavirus Research Due to Conspiracy Theory. ABC 

News reports this grant existed for more than a decade and stems from the 

researchers’ partnership with Wuhan Institute of Virology.xx President 

Trump has claimed—without any evidence—that the coronavirus was 

created and released by this biomedical lab, despite statements to the 

contrary made by both Dr. Fauci and WHO.xxi

16. May 6, 2020 The White House Council of Economic Advisers Publicize a 

Misleading Projection of Deaths. The New York Times reports the 

White House Council of Economic Advisers publicized a projections 

chart that suggested that Americans will stop dying of the coronavirus by 

the middle of May. Outside experts said the “dotted line in the chart 

could only mislead people into believing it was a forecast for a rapid 

decline in deaths.”xxii
5 

Date Political Interference

17. May 16, 2020 HHS Hires Ex-Pharma Executives with Financial Interests in Vaccine 

Makers to Oversee Vaccine Development Process. Politico reports that 

by hiring Dr. Moncef Slaoui as an independent contractor, HHS let him 

maintain millions of dollars of pharmaceutical company securities. The 

Select Subcommittee’s investigation shows that Dr. Slaoui and other 

Operation Warp Speed advisers maintained stock holdings that pose 

serious, unresolved conflicts of interest that could undermine the integrity 

of the Administration’s vaccine development and review process.xxiii 

18. May 19, 2020 The Administration Ignores Warnings About Mass Outbreaks at ICE

Detention Centers. CNN reports that the Administration was warned in 

March about the “imminent risk to the health and safety of immigrant 

detainees.”xxiv A study conducted in late-April found that between 72% 

and 100% of detainees will be infected. However, the Administration 

refused to take recommended measures to protect the health of 

detainees.xxv

19. May 23, 2020 The White House Alters Guidance to Faith Communities. The 

Washington Post reports that the White House removed CDC 

recommendations to limit practices that spread the virus, such as choir 

singing. Despite the evidence underlying CDC’s initial recommendations, 

the White House and some members of the Task Force were reportedly 

“resistant to establishing limits on religious institutions” and “did not

want to alienate the evangelical community.”xxvi

20. June 15, 2020 The Administration Tells Governors to Repeat Misleading Claims 

About Outbreak. The New York Times reports Vice President Pence 

encouraged governors to adopt the Administration’s inaccurate claim that 

a recent increase in cases was due to increased testing. The Vice 

President went on to “encourage people with the news that we’re safely 

reopening the country.” At this time, many states were experiencing 

surges in cases.xxvii

21. June 22, 2020 CDC Weakens Its Mail-in Voting Guidance. The New York Times

reports that CDC quietly changed its guidance on voting during the 

pandemic. As of March 9, 2020, CDC’s elections website specifically 

recommended that election officials: “Encourage mail-in methods of 

voting if allowed in the jurisdiction.” Around June 22, CDC updated its 

elections guidance, removing any mention of mail-in voting as a safer 

alternative to in-person voting and instead highlighting risks of mail-in 

voting.

xxviii

22. June 22, 2020 The Administration Ends Funding for 13 Testing Sites. After 

President Trump announced his intention to “slow the testing down” at a 

June 20 rally, the Administration announced on June 22 that its funding 

and support for 13 testing centers in Texas, Colorado, Illinois, New 

Jersey, and Pennsylvania would end on June 30. The Administration 

refused requests from local officials to open testing sites in hotspots, but 

later reversed course and kept a few sites in Texas open until the end of 

July.xxix
6 

Date Political Interference

23. June 23, 2020 

– Present

The White House Issues Secret Public Health Recommendations to 

States. The Select Subcommittee’s investigation shows that the Task 

Force sent private reports to state and local governments warning about 

surges in new coronavirus infections and making recommendations to 

improve states’ responses to the pandemic. The White House has refused 

to publicly support many of these private recommendations, including 

requiring face masks, closing bars and gyms, and strictly limiting 

gatherings.xxx 

24. June 28, 2020 The Administration Pressures CDC to Downplay Risks to Pregnant 

Women. The Washington Post reports that Dr. Alexander wrote an email 

to Director Redfield accusing CDC of “undermining the President” by 

putting out an accurate report warning about the potential risks to 

pregnant women from the coronavirus. The email noted that the guidance 

“reads in a way to frighten women ... as if the President and his 

administration can’t fix this and it is getting worse.”xxxi 

25. June 30, 2020 Political Appointees Target Top CDC Scientist Following an 

Interview. The New York Times reports that Dr. Alexander emailed 

Mr. Caputo a scathing critique of scientifically accurate statements about 

the coronavirus made by CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat 

during an interview. Dr. Alexander accused Dr. Schuchat of trying to 

“embarrass the President here” and claimed that “It is very false her 

statement that it causes death in children.”xxxii 

26. Early July 

2020 

The Administration Attacks Dr. Fauci for Sharing Contrary Views on 

Reopening. CNN reports that the White House made a concerted effort to 

discredit Dr. Fauci after he expressed concerns over reopening the country 

amid a national surge in coronavirus cases. “One senior administration 

official told CNN that some officials within the White House do not trust 

Fauci. According to the source, those officials think Fauci doesn’t have 

the best interest of the President.”xxxiii

xxxiv

 After President Trump claimed 

Dr. Fauci “made a lot of mistakes,” Assistant to the President Peter 

Navarro, who has no public health expertise, published an op-ed in USA 

Today stating that Dr. Fauci “has been wrong about everything I have 

interacted with him on.”

27. July 2020 President Trump Overrules CDC on School Reopening Guidance. 

President Trump pushed for schools to fully reopen, even though CDC 

guidance warned that “Full sized, in-person classes” presented the 

“Highest Risk” of transmitting coronavirus to students, teachers, and 

community members.

xxxvi

xxxvii

xxxv CDC then issued revised guidelines that were 

“substantially edited by White House officials” and included misleading 

language downplaying the risks, over the objection of CDC scientists.

Senior White House staff, including Mark Meadows, Mr. Kushner, Larry 

Kudlow, and Stephen Miller, were involved in the review process. 
7 

Date Political Interference

28. July – August 

2020 

President Trump Pressures FDA to Review Oleandrin as a Potential 

Coronavirus Treatment. Axios reports that President Trump pressured 

FDA to review the unproven botanical extract as a potential coronavirus 

cure, after a meeting with Phoenix Biotechnology Vice Chairman Andrew 

Whitney arranged by My Pillow founder and CEO Mike Lindrell, a 

supporter of President Trump’s campaign.xxxviii 

29. July – August 

2020 

The Administration Installs Partisans in Nonpolitical FDA Posts. Stat 

News reports that President Trump installed a number of political 

operatives—some lacking scientific backgrounds—to key positions at 

FDA that are typically filled by nonpolitical civil servants.xxxix

30. July 10, 2020 The Administration Redirects Hospitalization Data Away from CDC. 

The New York Times reports that the Administration abruptly directed 

hospitals across the country to stop sending data on coronavirus 

hospitalizations to the CDC platform that hospitals had used to report data 

for over a decade, and instead to report the data directly to HHS through a 

new portal maintained by a private company.xl Dr. Redfield testified to 

the Select Subcommittee that he “wasn’t involved in the decision” to 

transfer the data away from CDC and that “the Secretary’s office made 

the decision.”xli

31. August –

September 

2020 

Administration Officials Delay Accurate Article on 

Hydroxychloroquine in CDC’s MMWR. Politico reports Mr. Caputo’s 

team tried to halt the release of a CDC report that found “the potential 

benefits of [hydroxychloroquine] do not outweigh their risks.” The article 

was held for about a month after Mr. Caputo’s team raised questions 

about its authors’ political leanings, but it was finally released on 

September 4.xlii 

32. August –

September 

2020 

The Administration Pressures Dr. Fauci to Echo Administration 

Talking Points on Children and the Coronavirus. Politico reports that 

Dr. Alexander repeatedly attempted to pressure Dr. Fauci and other NIH 

officials to adopt the Administration’s talking points. On August 27, 

Dr. Alexander made clear that he objected to Dr. Fauci’s planned 

interview responses, stating: “I continue to have an issue with kids 

getting tested and repeatedly and even university students in a widespread 

manner...and I disagree with Dr. Fauci on this. Vehemently.” On 

September 8, Dr. Alexander asked, “Can you ensure Dr. Fauci indicates 

masks are for the teachers in schools. Not for children.”xliii

33. August 2, 2020 The White House Exerts Political Pressure to Finish Vaccine Before 

Election Day. The New York Times reports that Mr. Kushner directly 

pressured Secretary Azar to accelerate the vaccine development process, 

and that the White House insisted on the production of a vaccine by 

October 2020, prior to Election Day.xliv 
8 

Date Political Interference

34. August 8, 2020 An HHS Political Appointee Demands CDC Alter or Retract 

Scientific Articles on Children. Politico reports that Dr. Alexander 

demanded that CDC Director Redfield change two published reports that 

Dr. Alexander claimed inflated coronavirus risks to children and 

undermined President Trump’s push to reopen schools. Dr. Alexander 

called on CDC to insert new language in a report or “pull it down and stop 

all reports immediately.” He also wrote: “CDC tried to report as if once 

kids get together, there will be spread and this will impact school reopening. .... Very misleading by CDC and shame on them. Their aim is 

clear. ... This is designed to hurt this President for their reasons which I 

am not interested in.”xlv 

35. August 8, 2020 An HHS Political Appointee Demands Changes to MMWR 

Publication Process to Allow for Political Interference. Politico

reports that Dr. Alexander called on CDC Director Redfield to put an 

“immediate stop” to all new MMWR reports, so that the agency could 

change its publication process to allow for Dr. Alexander to personally 

review the report before publication. Dr. Alexander stated, “The reports 

must be read by someone outside of CDC like myself, and we cannot 

allow the reporting to go on as it has been, for it is outrageous. Its lunacy. 

Nothing to go out unless I read and agree with the findings how they 

CDC, wrote it and I tweak it to ensure it is fair and balanced and 

‘complete.’”xlvi

36. August 23, 

2020 

FDA Grants an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Plasma 

Over the Objections of Top Scientists, While Citing Misleading 

Evidence. The New York Times and Washington Post report that the 

EUA for convalescent plasma occurred over the objections of Dr. Fauci 

and NIH Director Francis Collins, who believed insufficient data was 

available to determine if convalescent plasma provided a benefit.xlvii

xlviii

 

FDA’s EUA qualified the preliminary findings regarding convalescent 

plasma and called for clinical trials. FDA rushed the EUA over 

objections to appease President Trump, who had expressed frustration that 

FDA was not moving quickly enough to develop coronavirus treatments. 

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was later forced to apologize, and the 

FDA’s chief spokesperson was removed after it became clear that 

Dr. Hahn, along with President Trump and Secretary Azar, cited grossly 

inaccurate statistics on the effectiveness of plasma therapy at a press 

conference.xlix

37. August 24, 

2020 

The Administration Alters CDC Testing Guidelines. CDC abruptly 

changed its testing guidelines to assert, contrary to the scientific 

consensus, that most asymptomatic individuals exposed to a person with 

the virus do not need to be tested. CNN asked a senior CDC official 

whether this change was made at the direction of the White House or 

HHS, and the official stated, “It’s coming from the top down.”l

 CDC’s 

original guidance was later restored after the Select Subcommittee and 

others objected.
9 

Date Political Interference

38. August 24, 

2020 

President Trump Accuses the “Deep State” FDA of Slowing Vaccine 

Trials Until After Election. After repeatedly suggesting that a 

coronavirus vaccine may be released before Election Day, President 

Trump pressured FDA Commissioner Hahn to deliver, tweeting: “The 

deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for 

drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and 

therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after 

November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives! @SteveFDA”li

39. August 28, 

2020 

HHS Cancels Contract of Consultant Who Advised FDA to Correct 

Misleading Statements. Politico reports that HHS canceled the contract 

of consultant Wayne Pines after he advised FDA Commissioner Hahn to 

correct misleading statements made regarding the effectiveness of plasma 

therapy. HHS officials were reportedly angered by Dr. Hahn’s apology 

and began the process of severing Mr. Pines’ contract after learning that 

he aided the decision, with one official stating that Mr. Pines’ removal 

was “not routine.”lii

40. August 31, 

2020 

The Administration Redirects $265 million from CDC and FDA 

Budgets for a “Boondoggle” PR Campaign to “Defeat Despair” 

Before Election. Politico reports the ad campaign—which Mr. Caputo 

said was directly ordered by President Trump—sought to release an 

ad blitz before Election Day featuring senior Administration officials and 

celebrities and highlighting the Administration’s pandemic response.liii 

The New York Times reports that CDC was not been consulted on the 

substance of the campaign.liv HHS directed a subcontract to a former 

business partner of Mr. Caputo. An HHS official called the effort a 

“boondoggle.”lv

41. Late August 

2020 

HHS Overrides FDA and Increases the Risk of Inaccurate 

Coronavirus Tests Flooding the Market. Politico reports that Secretary 

Azar overruled objections from FDA Commissioner Hahn to revoke the 

FDA’s ability to check the quality of tests developed by labs for their own 

use. The decision removed safeguards designed to prevent inaccurate 

tests from flooding the market during a public health crisis. A former 

HHS official told Politico that, “I’ve never seen such a complete political 

overruling of the agency.”lvi

42. September 2, 

2020 

President Trump Undermines FDA Independence on Vaccine 

Approval. FDA announced guidelines to be followed before authorizing 

a vaccine-related EUA, including a minimum two-month period after a 

clinical trial and five cases of severe coronavirus in the placebo group. 

President Trump rejected the FDA’s attempt to implement a rigorous 

vaccine approval process, asserting without evidence that the plan 

“sounds like a political move” and that it “has to be approved by the 

White House. We may or may not approve it.”lvii
10

Date Political Interference

43. September 6, 

2020 

The White House Weakens Task Force Public Health 

Recommendations. After months of recommending that states with 

active outbreaks implement mask mandates, close bars and gyms, and 

strictly limit gatherings, an analysis by the Select Subcommittee shows 

the Task Force weakened its recommendations in states where the virus is 

still spreading rapidly.lviii 

44. September 15, 

2020 

Secretary Azar Restricts the Authority of FDA and Other Health 

Agencies. The New York Times reports that Secretary Azar signed a 

memorandum prohibiting FDA and other health agencies from signing 

any new rules regarding medicines, medical devices, and other products, 

writing that the power to do so “is reserved to the Secretary.” It is unclear 

what Secretary Azar intends to do with this power, but experts have raised 

alarm that the change could impact vaccines and therapeutics.lix 

45. September 16, 

2020 

President Trump Publicly Rebukes Dr. Redfield on Mask and 

Vaccine Effectiveness. The New York Times reports that President 

Trump publicly rebuked Dr. Redfield after he provided scientifically 

accurate testimony that a vaccine would not be widely available until 

Summer 2021 or later and that face masks are “more guaranteed” to 

protect against the coronavirus than a vaccine. President Trump stated 

that Dr. Redfield’s comments contained “incorrect information.” 

Subsequently, Dr. Redfield and CDC issued statements walking back 

Dr. Redfield’s testimony to more closely align with the President’s 

views.lx

46. September 21, 

2020 

The Administration Removed a Report on Airborne Transmission 

from the CDC Website. On Friday, September 18, new guidance 

appeared on CDC’s website concluding that the coronavirus is transmitted 

through small particles in the air. By Monday, September 21, this 

guidance was removed. The sudden appearance and disappearance of 

scientific information has raised concerns that officials may have found 

the conclusions politically inconvenient.lxi

47. September 29, 

2020 

The Vice President Overrules the CDC Director on Extending Cruise 

Ship Ban. Axios reports that CDC Director Redfield was overruled by 

Vice President Pence when he pushed to extend a no-sail order on 

passenger cruises until February 2021: “Public health officials have 

privately complained that the thwarting of Redfield on the cruise ship ban 

is politically motivated because the industry is a major economic presence 

in Florida—a key battleground state where the polls are statistically 

tied.”lxii
11

ENDNOTES

i Coronavirus-Infected Americans Flown Home Against CDC’s Advice, Washington Post (Feb. 20, 2020) 

(online at www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-diamond-princess-cruise-americans/2020/02/20/b6f54cae5279-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html). 

ii Health Officials Warn Americans to Plan for the Spread of Coronavirus in U.S., National Public Radio 

(Feb. 25, 2020) (online at www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/25/809318447/health-officials-warnamericans-to-start-planning-for-spread-of-coronavirus-in-u).

iii Health Chief’s Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response, Wall Street Journal (Apr. 22, 2020) 

(online at www.wsj.com/articles/health-chiefs-early-missteps-set-back-coronavirus-response-11587570514).

iv How Jared Kushner’s Secret Testing Plan “Went Poof into Thin Air,” Vanity Fair (July 30, 2020) (online 

at www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07/how-jared-kushners-secret-testing-plan-went-poof-into-thin-air).

v ‘We’ve Been Muzzled’: CDC Sources Say White House Putting Politics Ahead of Science, CNN (May 20, 

2020) (online at www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/politics/coronavirus-travel-alert-cdc-white-house-tensionsinvs/index.html).

vi Official: White House Didn’t Want to Tell Seniors Not to Fly, Associated Press (Mar. 7, 2020) (online at 

apnews.com/article/921ad7f1f08d7634bf681ba785faf269).

vii CDC to Resume Regular Coronavirus Briefings After Being Sidelined by White House, CNN (May 30, 

2020) (online at www.cnn.com/2020/05/30/politics/cdc-coronavirus-briefings-resume/index.html). 

viii Committee on Oversight and Reform, Press Release: New Document Shows Inadequate Distribution of 

Personal Protective Equipment and Critical Medical Supplies to States (Apr. 8, 2020) (online at 

oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/new-document-shows-inadequate-distribution-of-personal-protectiveequipment-and).

ix ‘We’re Not a Shipping Clerk’: Trump Tells Governors to Step up Efforts to Get Medical Supplies, 

Politico (Mar. 19, 2020) (online at www.politico.com/news/2020/03/19/trump-governors-coronavirus-medicalsupplies-137658).

x “That’s Their Problem”: How Jared Kushner Let the Markets Decide America’s COVID-19 Fate, Vanity 

Fair (Sept. 17, 2020) (online at www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/jared-kushner-let-the-markets-decide-covid-19-

fate).

xi Trump Administration Scrapped Plan to Send Every American a Mask in April, Email Shows, NBC News 

(Sept. 17, 2020) (online at www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-administration-scrapped-plan-send-everyamerican-mask-april-email-n1240359); Postal Service’s Plan to Send 650M Face Masks to Americans Allegedly 

Nixed by White House, ABC News (Sept. 17, 2020) (online at www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/postal-services-plansend-650m-face-masks-americans/story?id=73081928).

xii Most States that Are Reopening Fail to Meet White House Guidelines, New York Times (May 7, 2020) 

(online at www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/07/us/coronavirus-states-reopen-criteria.html).

xiii Trump Wants U.S. ‘Opened Up’ by Easter, Despite Health Officials’ Warnings, New York Times (Mar. 

24, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-easter.html).

xiv Woodward Book: Trump Says He Knew Coronavirus Was ‘Deadly’ and Worse than the Flu While 

Intentionally Misleading Americans, Washington Post (Sept. 9, 2020) (online at 

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bob-woodward-rage-book-trump/2020/09/09/0368fe3c-efd2-11ea-b4bc3a2098fc73d4_story.html).

xv Trump Halts Funding to World Health Organization, Politico (Apr. 14, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/04/14/trump-world-health-organization-funding-186786).

xvi Vaccine Chief Says He Was Removed After Questioning Drug Trump Promoted, New York Times (May 

5, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/coronavirus-live-coverage.html).
12

xvii CDC Director’s Office Ordered Softening of Covid Safety Protocols, MSNBC (Sept. 22, 2020) (online 

at www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/cdc-director-s-office-ordered-softening-of-covid-safety-protocols92362309670).

xviii Trump Administration Buries Detailed CDC Advice on Reopening, Associated Press (May 7, 2020) 

(online at www.apnews.com/article/7a00d5fba3249e573d2ead4bd323a4d4).

xix Trump Officials Interfered with CDC Reports on Covid-19, Politico (Sept. 12, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809).

xx Trump Admin Pulls NIH Grant for Coronavirus Research over Ties to Wuhan Lab at Heart of 

Conspiracy Theories, ABC News (May 1, 2020) (online at abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-admin-pulls-nih-grantcoronavirus-research-ties/story?id=70418101).

xxi Trump’s Wuhan Lab Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Is Bogus, According to, Uh, Everyone, Vice (May 

5, 2020) (online at www.vice.com/en_us/article/7kpzv4/trumps-wuhan-lab-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-is-bogusaccording-to-uh-everyone).

xxii No Virus Deaths by Mid-May? White House Economists Say They Didn’t Forecast Early End to 

Fatalities, New York Times (May 6, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/business/coronavirus-whitehouse-economists.html).

xxiii Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Press Release: Documents Reveal Potential 

Unresolved Conflicts Of Interest Among Top Operation Warp Speed Advisors (Sept. 22, 2020) (online at 

coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/documents-reveal-potential-unresolved-conflicts-interest-among-topoperation); Vaccine Project Contract Raises Transparency Questions, Politico (July 31, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/07/31/vaccine-project-contract-raises-transparency-questions-389822). 

xxiv Doctors Warn of ‘Tinderbox Scenario’ if Coronavirus Spreads in ICE Detention, CNN (Mar. 20, 2020) 

(online at www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/health/doctors-ice-detention-coronavirus/index.html).

xxv The Cruelty of Trump’s ICE Under COVID-19, Boston Review (May 19, 2020) (online at 

bostonreview.net/global-justice/lauren-carasik-deadly-immigration-enforcement-during-covid-19-pandemic).

xxvi White House and CDC Remove Coronavirus Warnings About Choirs in Faith Guidance, Washington 

Post (May 28, 2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/health/white-house-and-cdc-remove-coronaviruswarnings-about-choirs-in-faith-guidance/2020/05/28/5d9c526e-a117-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html).

xxvii Pence Tells Governors to Repeat Misleading Claim on Outbreaks, New York Times (June 16, 2020) 

(online at www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/coronavirus-usa-world.html). 

xxviii The Attack on Voting, New York Times (Sept. 30, 2020) (online at 

www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/magazine/trump-voter-fraud.html). 

xxix Letter from Chairman James E. Clyburn, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, et al., to 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar II (June 25, 2020) (online at 

coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2020-06-

25.Clyburn%20Foster%20Kim%20et%20al.%20to%20Azar%20II-HHS%20re%20Federal%20Testing.pdf).

xxx Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Press Release: Select Subcommittee Calls on White 

House, Governors to Comply with Unpublished Recommendations to Contain Virus (July 29, 2020) (online at 

coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/select-subcommittee-calls-white-house-governors-comply-unpublished); 

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Press Release: Select Subcommittee Releases Eight Weeks of 

Coronavirus Task Force Reports Kept Secret by the White House (Aug. 31, 2020) (online at 

coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/select-subcommittee-releases-eight-weeks-coronavirus-task-forcereports-kept).

xxxi CDC Feels Pressure from Trump as Rift Grows over Coronavirus Response, Washington Post (July 9, 

2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-sidelines-public-health-advisers-in-growing-rift-overcoronavirus-response/2020/07/09/ad803218-c12a-11ea-9fdd-b7ac6b051dc8_story.html). 

xxxii Read the Email Between Caputo and Dr. Alexander, New York Times (Sept. 18, 2020) (online at 

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/18/us/read-the-email-between-caputo-and-dr.html).
13

xxxiii Fauci Is Sidelined by the White House as He Steps up Blunt Talk on Pandemic, Washington Post (July 

11, 2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/11/fauci-trump-coronavirus/); White House Takes 

Aim at Fauci but Trump Has No Current Plans to Fire Him, Source Says, CNN (July 13, 2020) (online at 

www.cnn.com/2020/07/12/politics/fauci-trump-coronavirus/index.html).

xxxiv Peter Navarro, Anthony Fauci Has Been Wrong About Everything I Have Interacted with Him on, USA 

Today (July 14, 2020) (online at www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/07/14/anthony-fauci-wrongwith-me-peter-navarro-editorials-debates/5439374002/).

xxxv Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Considerations for K-12 Schools: Readiness and Planning 

Tool (July 1, 2020) (online at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community/School-Admin-K12-

readiness-and-planning-tool.pdf). 

xxxvi CDC’s Robert Redfield: After Pressure on School Reopenings from Donald Trump, Changes “Not a 

Revision” of Guidelines, USA Today (July 9, 2020) (online at 

www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/07/09/covid-cases-cdc-says-school-reopening-guidelines-wontrevised/5404983002/); CDC Director Concedes Schools in ‘Hot Spots’ Face Tougher Call on Reopening, 

Washington Post (July 24, 2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/education/cdc-director-concedes-schools-inhot-spots-face-tougher-call-on-reopening/2020/07/24/273ee068-cdd8-11ea-b0e3-d55bda07d66a_story.html).

xxxvii Behind the White House Effort to Pressure the C.D.C. on School Openings, New York Times (Sept. 

28, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/us/politics/white-house-cdc-coronavirus-schools.html).

xxxviii Trump Eyes New Unproven Coronavirus “Cure,” Axios (Aug. 16, 2020) (online at 

www.axios.com/trump-covid-oleandrin-9896f570-6cd8-4919-af3a-65ebad113d41.html).

xxxix Trump Has Launched an All-Out Attack on the FDA. Will Its Scientific Integrity Survive?, Stat News 

(Aug. 27, 2020) (online at www.statnews.com/2020/08/27/trump-has-launched-an-all-out-attack-on-the-fda-will-itsscientific-integrity-survive/); Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After Blood Plasma Fiasco, New York 

Times (Aug. 28, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/health/blood-plasma-fda.html).

xl Trump Administration Strips C.D.C. of Control of Coronavirus Data, New York Times (July 14, 2020) 

(online at www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/trump-cdc-coronavirus.html).

xli Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Hybrid Hearing on “the Urgent Need for a National 

Plan to Contain the Coronavirus” (July 31, 2020) (online at coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/hearingwhite-house-task-force-members-confirm-failed-us-response-made).

xlii Trump Officials Interfered with CDC Reports on Covid-19, Politico (Sept. 12, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809).

xliii Emails Show HHS Official Trying to Muzzle Fauci, Politico (Sept. 9, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/09/emails-show-hhs-muzzle-fauci-410861).

xliv Scientists Worry About Political Influence over Coronavirus Vaccine Project, New York Times (Aug. 2, 

2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/us/politics/coronavirus-vaccine.html).

xlv Trump Officials Interfered with CDC Reports on Covid-19, Politico (Sept. 12, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809).

xlvi Id. 

xlvii F.D.A.’s Emergency Approval of Blood Plasma Is Now on Hold, New York Times (Aug. 19, 2020) 

(online at www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/us/politics/blood-plasma-covid-19.html); Trump Touts FDA’s Emergency 

Authorization of Convalescent Plasma as Historic Breakthrough, But Scientists Are Doubtful, Washington Post 

(Aug. 23, 2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/23/trump-convalescent-plasma-okay/). 

xlviii Clinical Memorandum from Food and Drug Administration, EUA 26382: Emergency Use 

Authorization (EUA) Request (Aug. 23, 2020) (online at www.fda.gov/media/141480/download).

xlix FDA’s Hahn Apologizes for Overselling Plasma’s Benefits as a COVID-19 Treatment, National Public 

Radio (Aug. 25, 2020) (online at www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/25/905792261/fdas-hahn-apologizesfor-overselling-plasmas-benefits-as-a-covid-19-treatment); Two P.R. Experts at F.D.A. Have Been Ousted After 
14

Blood Plasma Fiasco, New York Times (Aug. 28, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/health/bloodplasma-fda.html).

l Updated CDC Guidelines Now Say People Exposed to Coronavirus May Not Need to Be Tested, CNN

(Aug. 26, 2020) (online at www.cnn.com/2020/08/26/health/cdc-guidelines-coronavirus-testing/index.html).

li Trump Without Evidence Accuses ‘Deep State’ at FDA of Slow-Walking Coronavirus Vaccines and 

Treatments, Washington Post (Aug. 22, 2020) (online at www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/22/trumpwithout-evidence-accuses-deep-state-fda-slow-walking-coronavirus-vaccines-treatments/).

lii ‘She Couldn’t Even Pronounce Convalescent Plasma’: FDA Ousts Spokesperson After 2 Weeks, Politico 

(Aug. 28, 2020) (online at www.politico.com/news/2020/08/28/fda-top-spokesperson-leaves-404422).

liii HHS Bids $250 Million Contract Meant to ‘Defeat Despair and Inspire Hope’ on Coronavirus, Politico 

(Aug. 31, 2020) (online at www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/hhs-contract-coronavirus-despair-hope-406361).

liv Health Official to Take Leave of Absence After He Attacked Federal Scientists, New York Times (Sept. 

18, 2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/michael-caputo-hhs-leave-of-absence.html).

lv HHS Ad Blitz Sputters as Celebrities Back Away, Politico (Sept. 29, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/29/hhs-ad-blitz-sputters-as-celebrities-back-away-423274).

lvi HHS Chief Overrode FDA Officials to Ease Testing Rules, Politico (Sept. 15, 2020) (online at 

www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/hhs-alex-azar-overrode-fda-testing-rules-415400).

lvii FDA Chief Vows Agency Will Not Accept Political Pressure on Coronavirus Vaccine, Axios (Sept. 23, 

2020) (online at www.axios.com/coronavirus-vaccine-fda-chief-political-pressure-9aa17a5d-58a5-4c7d-a4aaa15378d4342b.html). 

lviii Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Press Release: Select Subcommittee Finds White 

House Task Force Weakened Recommendations as Infection Rates Rose (Sept. 16, 2020) (online at 

coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/select-subcommittee-finds-white-house-task-force-weakenedrecommendations).

lix In ‘Power Grab,’ Health Secretary Azar Asserts Authority over F.D.A., New York Times (Sept. 19, 

2020) (online at www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/health/azar-hhs-fda.html).

lx Trump Scorns His Own Scientists over Virus Data, New York Times (Sept. 16, 2020) (online at 

www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/trump-cdc-covid-vaccine.html).

lxi CDC Reverses Guidelines Stating the Coronavirus Is Airborne Virus [UPDATE], Huffington Post (Sept. 

21, 2020) (online at www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-airborne-in-aerosols-cdcsays_n_5f689b89c5b6480e8972428d?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004).

lxii Scoop: CDC Director Overruled on Cruise Ship Ban, Axios (Sept. 29, 2020) (online at 

www.axios.com/scoop-white-house-overruled-cdc-cruise-ships-florida-91442136-1b8e-442e-a2a1-

0b24e9a39fb6.html).