Trump flunkies tying to manipulate CDC reports to mislead the public
It’s the logical product of seeing the pandemic as a PR problem rather than a public health problem:
The health department’s politically appointed communications aides have demanded the right to review and seek changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly scientific reports charting the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, in what officials characterized as an attempt to intimidate the reports’ authors and water down their communications to health professionals.
In some cases, emails from communications aides to CDC Director Robert Redfield and other senior officials openly complained that the agency’s reports would undermine President Donald Trump’s optimistic messages about the outbreak, according to emails reviewed by POLITICO and three people familiar with the situation.
CDC officials have fought back against the most sweeping changes, but have increasingly agreed to allow the political officials to review the reports and, in a few cases, compromised on the wording, according to three people familiar with the exchanges. The communications aides’ efforts to change the language in the CDC’s reports have been constant across the summer and continued as recently as Friday afternoon.
Look Trump just doesn’t want to create a panic. Now LOOKOUT THERE IS A CARAVAN OF BLACK ANTIFA THUGS TRYING TO KILL YOUR DAUGHTERS WITH FRENCH NETFLIX MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!