Ex-CDC Chief: Trump Staffers Blocked COVID Briefings

ABC News reports:

In closed-door testimony to House investigators released on Friday, Dr. Bob Redfield, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, former President Donald Trump appointees repeatedly blocked his public health experts from briefing the American public.

Redfield described, in detail, efforts by the CDC to speak publicly on what it knew about COVID and how people could stay safe. “They would not clear our briefings,” Redfield said, according to written excerpts of the interview. “This is one of my great disappointments. That HHS basically took over total clearance of briefings by CDC.”

“They would not clear our briefings… HHS basically took over total clearance of briefings by CDC.”

Dr. Redfield says Trump appointees blocked CDC from delivering important info to the public.

Reported by ⁦@AnneKFlaherty⁩ and ⁦@AMitrops⁩ https://t.co/qdn3G0WBle

— Eric+ (@ericMstrauss) April 29, 2022