Expert Walter Reed Doctor Who Criticized Trump for Joy Ride While Hospitalized with COVID Removed

A physician who works at Walter Reed Medical Center and criticized President Donald Trump for his joy ride with Secret Service agents  to wave to his fans while battling COVID-19 has been “removed” from the military hospital’s schedule. Dr. James Phillips, who also serves as Chief of Disaster Medicine at George Washington University, will not be attending to Walter Reed patients as of next month.

“Every single person,” Dr. Phillips had tweeted in October, “in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”

Dr. James Phillips, Non-Military Attending Physician, Walter Reed, on Trump driveby: “Masks or no masks, being inside a vehicle that’s hermetically sealed circulates virus inside and potentially puts people at risk.” pic.twitter.com/wDxlwqDqEW

— The Hill (@thehill) October 5, 2020

Phillips is also on contract to serve as an attending physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).

CBS News Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes, who first reported on Dr. Phillips’ removal, says “Walter Reed officials deny they made the decision to remove him, telling CBS News the hospital ‘provides requirements for contract positions. Schedules are determined by the contractor. There was no decision made by anyone at WRNMMC to remove Dr. Phillips from the schedule.'”

Phillips’s tweet has since been deleted, but he has appeared several times on news networks, including CNN. More recently he told CNN’s “AC360” President Trump’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, calling on Americans to “gather” during the annual holiday, is a “slap in the face” to front line emergency physicians.

“As an emergency physician who’s on the frontlines every day over the last two weeks have seen more and more Covid in our emergency departments, it’s a slap in the face.” – Dr. James Phillips on Trump’s Thanksgiving proclamation calling for Americans to “gather” for the holiday pic.twitter.com/Db6y5yuSi4

— CNN (@CNN) November 26, 2020