Senate Republicans Silent On Trump Officials Interfering With CDC Reports

Trump’s Political Appointees “Demanded” Right To Make “Line Edits” To Critical CDC Reports On Coronavirus Spread In “An Attempt To Intimidate The Reports’ Authors And Water Down Their Communications To Health Professionals”

Senate Republicans have been silent on concerning weekend reports that Trump administration political appointees have been attempting to interfere with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) weekly reports that provide critical data on the coronavirus’ spread throughout the U.S. in order to better “align” the reports with Trump’s false and misleading messages on the pandemic.

“Trump loyalists” in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “berated CDC scientists” about what they called “ulterior deep state motives” behind the reports, which they saw as a “political loyalty test.” Officials insisted on making “line edits” to every report before it was published, and even demanded the CDC put an “‘immediate stop’” to the reports. This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has tried to sideline the CDC as the president has admitted to “concealing the true threat of coronavirus.” Earlier this summer, reports revealed that the Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass the CDC and send all COVID-19 data directly to the political appointees at HHS. 

Senate Republicans have for months refused to hold the Trump administration accountable for botching the pandemic response, ignoring warnings, failing to ramp up testing, and allowing the coronavirus to “silently spread” throughout the United States for weeks while telling Americans the virus will just “go away.” They’ve praised the president, bragged that they’ve worked “hand in glove” with the White House, and even defended the president after he admitted on tape that he intentionally wanted to “play it down.” 

“Instead of doing their job to hold the executive branch accountable, Senate Republicans have sat back and allowed the president to spread falsehoods throughout this deadly pandemic,” said DSCC spokesperson Helen Kalla. “After months of their cowardly silence or sheepish defense of the administration, we aren’t holding out hope that Senate Republicans will finally speak out about this latest troubling report that Trump’s political appointees intimidated and berated scientists into manipulating COVID-19 data to fit the president’s agenda of disinformation.”

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