Officials at the very top of the Trump administration buried CDC guidance designed to help stores, restaurants, schools, churches, and even mass transit re-open amid the coronavirus pandemic, then falsely claimed it had not been approved by the CDC after being caught by reporters who were sent the documents.
The Associated Press reports it obtained internal government emails proving “the highest levels of the White House” buried the CDC’s guidance, but later “ordered key parts of it to be fast-tracked for approval” after the AP reported on its existence.
“The trove of emails show the nation’s top public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending weeks working on guidance to help the country deal with a public health emergency, only to see their work quashed by political appointees with little explanation,” the AP reveals.
When confronted by reporters asking why the White House would not want to help business owners, faith leaders, and local governments re-open safely, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the report had not been cleared by CDC Director Robert Redfield.
That was false, according to the AP.
The guidance had been shared with “President Donald Trump’s inner circle, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, top adviser Kellyanne Conway and Joseph Grogan, assistant to the president for domestic policy. Also included were Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other task force members.”
Emails show repeated attempts by top CDC officials desperately trying to get White House approval to post the much-needed guidance online as quickly as possible, to no avail.
Ultimately, Robert McGowan, the CDC chief of staff, frustrated with the White House burying the guidance, told his staff it would would never “see the light of day.”
Read the AP’s full report here.