MANY THINGS THAT SHOULD BE GOING
THROUGH YOUR HEAD AT THAT TIME
WAS MIND BLOWING TO-BLOWING TO M
>> IN YOUR ROLE ON THE TASK
FORCE, WORKING WITH THE VICE
PRESIDENT, DID YOU WITNESS
POLITICAL PRESSURE ON THE CDC TO
CHANGE THEIR SCIENTIFIC ADVICE
IN THERE AND RECOMMENDATIONS
ABOUT COVID?
>> I SAW A LOT OF POLITICAL
PRESSURE AND DYNAMICS ON THE
DOCTORS AND THE TASK FORCE
FIRSTHAND.
THERE WERE CERTAINLY A LOT OF
INTERNAL PRESSURE FROM VARIOUS
SENIOR POLITICAL FIGURES IN THE
WEST WING.
I SAW THE DOCTORS BULLIED AT
TIME.
I SAW THEM AT TIMES HAVE TO
REALLY STAND THEIR GROUND AND
FIGHT AND SOMETIMES WHEN THEY
DID THAT IT MEANT THAT MOST OF
YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T SEE THEM IN
THE PRESS BRIEFING THE NEXT DAY
BECAUSE THEY SAID SOMETHING THAT
WAS A LITTLE BIT TOO NORTHFORTHC
AND VERY TRUE AND WAS NOT IN
LINE WITH THEIR MESSAGE.
WHEN IT COME TO GUIDELINES AND
DOCUMENTS THAT’S CRITICAL TO GET
OUT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR
THE HEALTH AGENCY, SUCH AS THE
CDC.
MY HEART GOES OUT TO THESE
DOCTORS.
I WORK CLOSELY WITH THE DOCTORS,
I KNOW DR. REDFIELD CLOSELY, I
HAVE SEEN HIM STRUGGLE WITH THIS
HARD CHALLENGEING DYNAMIC OF HOW
DO YOU BREATHE THIS PANDEMIC.
YOU ARE THE LEADER OF AN AGENCY,
YOU GOT STAFFS AND SCIENTISTS
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT WHILE YOU
ARE TRYING TO STAND UP WITH
THESE DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.
I SAW THIS HAMMINGPPENING REPEAT
>> WHO WERE THE FIGURES THAT
WOULD PUT THIS KIND OF PRESSURE
ON THE DOCTOR?
I CAN’T IMAGINE BEING A
SCIENTIST OR A PERSON WHO WORKS
AS A STAFFER OR A SENIOR STAFFER
AND SOME SORT OF ADMINISTRATION,
I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT TAKES TO
TELL THE CDC OR ANTHONY FAUCI OR
ANY OF THESE AGENCIES THAT THEIR
SCIENCE HAD TO BE CHANGED OR
SCIENCE HAD TO BE DOWN PLAYED OR
RECOMMENDATIONS HAD TO BE
ALTERED TO FIT POLITICAL
CONSIDERATIONS.
WHO IN THE WHITE HOUSE FELT LIKE
THEY HAD THE KIND OF STANDING TO
PRESSURE THOSE DOCTORS?
>> WE ARE TALKING AT THE MOST
SENIOR LEVEL AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
I DON’T WANT TO GET INTO NAMING
NAMES FLAT OUT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO
MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT
AND VICE PRESIDENT AND ADVISE
THEM SIGNIFICANTLY.
THERE WERE OTHER ENTITIES WITHIN
THE WHITE HOUSE SUCH AS OMB AND
THE REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICE
INTERNALLY WHO WERE ALSO
INVOLVED IN SOME OF THESE
COORDINATION ON DOCUMENTS AND
THINGS THAT WOULD HONESTLY ENUP
WITH WATER DOWN ITEMS.
THINGS THAT SIGN TIPSCIENTISTS D
AGREE WITH.
THEY WERE NOT STRONGLY WORDED OR
NOT AS SPECIFIC BECAUSE THEY
WERE TRYING TO ENSURE THAT
WHATEVER MESSAGE THAT WAS COMING
OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE WAS
EITHER FOR VOTEING BLOCK OR SOME
OTHER CONCERNS ABOUT WE ARE IN A
HURRY OF OPENING UP TPHE COUNTRY
BECAUSE WE ARE IN DENIAL OF
WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND US AND
WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING
THAT WE GOT TO FIT IT TO HIS
MESSAGE.
THAT WAS A GOAL FROM IT.
MY OPINION BUT I SAW IT
FIRSTHAND.
>> IN TERMS OF WHAT
FIRSTHAND, WE RECENTLY REPORTED
THERE WAS PRESSURE PUT ON THE
CDC WATER DOWNING RECOMMENDATION
RECOMMENDATIONS TO MEAT PACKING
PLANTS WHEN THEY HAD THE BIGGEST
OUTBREAK IN THE COUNTRY AND TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GOT COVID
AT THOSE WORKPLACES.
SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD CALLED
AND TOLD THEY HAD TO RESCIND
THEIR REPORT AND REISSUED IT
WITHOUT ANY LANGUAGES THAT WERE
TOLD.
THAT HAPPENED IN APRIL WHEN YOU
WERE ON THE TASK FORCE AND THAT
WAS WHEN THE TASK FORCE MEETS
EVERYDAY
EVERYDAY.
CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT FOR US?
>> I DID SEE IT.
I SAW THIS SORT OF INTERACTION
AND BACK AND FORTH WITHIN THE
TASK FORCE MEETING AND THERE IS
OTHER ENTITYIES AT PLAY WHERE
THERE IS A POLICY DECIDED UPON
AND THAT WOULD SUDDENLY CHANGE
LATER.
I REMEMBER THIS SPECIFIC
INCIDENT BECAUSE I DO KNOW THERE
IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER
YOU KNOW CDC THEY’RE NOT A
REGULATORY AGENCY OR
RECOMMENDATIONS, THERE WERE
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SHOULD THE
CDC HAVE THIS STRONG LANGUAGE THERE.
THE TRUTH IS CDC HAS THIS IN
CREDIBLY
INCREDIBLY, KNOWLEDGEABLE
SCIENTISTS.
THEY DO THIS IN ORDER TO RESPOND
TO SOMETHING THAT CONTAINS IT.
IF THEY ARE WRITING THESE
REPORTS AND GETTING THESE TYPES
OF RECOMMENDATIONS, I CAN SPEAK
TO THE FACT THAT THOSE ARE
PROBABLY STRONG GUIDELINES THAT
THESE FACTORIES AND FACILITIES
NEED TO ADHERE TO AND I HAVE
RELATIVES THAT HAVE ACTUALLY
WORKED IN SOME OF THESE