The investigation uncovered that Trump’s appointees sought to influence CDC’s scientific reports…reports Asian Lite News
A US Congressional panel released a new report detailing efforts by the Trump administration to politicise federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis accused the White House under former US President Donald Trump of undermining “public health to benefit the former president’s political goals”.
Trump and his top aides repeatedly attacked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) scientists, compromised the agency’s public health guidance, and suppressed scientific reports in an effort to downplay the seriousness of the coronavirus, Congressman James Clyburn, Chair of the panel, said in a statement.
“This prioritisation of politics, contempt for science, and refusal to follow the advice of public health experts harmed the nation’s ability to respond effectively to the coronavirus crisis and put Americans at risk,” Clyburn alleged.
The investigation uncovered that Trump’s appointees sought to influence CDC’s scientific reports — attempting to change the publication process, manipulate the content, or block the dissemination of at least 19 different reports that they deemed to be politically harmful to the administration.
The subcommittee has been investigating the Trump administration’s “political interference” across the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic since June 2020, Xinhua news agency reported.
The US has reported nearly 97 million Covid-19 cases and more than 1 million deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The CDC said a new Covid variant dubbed BQ.1 and a descendant called BQ.1.1 have gained traction in the US, accounting for 11.4 per cent of new cases across the country in the week ending October 15.
Trump aide faces jail
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is recommending that Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist for former President Donald Trump, be sentenced to six months in jail for defying a congressional subpoena.
The DOJ wrote in a court filing on Monday that it also wants Bannon to pay a fine of $200,000 for refusing to testify before the House select panel investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, reports Xinhua news agency.
The recommendation came ahead of a sentencing hearing for Bannon later this week.
In a separate filing, the former advisor argued he should not to go jail “for relying on the advice of his lawyers”.
Bannon, 68, was indicted last year after defying the subpoena from the January 6 committee.
He was chief executive of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and served as senior counsellor at the White House before being fired in August 2017.
