‘TREADED WATER’

Mitt Romney Fires Back at White House: ‘I Find Our Testing Record Nothing to Celebrate’

Romney took issue with the HHS assistant secretary praising the admin’s coronavirus testing, pointing out why comparisons with South Korea were ludicrous.

A day after the White House tried to pat itself on the back as the world’s leader in coronavirus testing, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) pushed back against one of the administration’s cheerleaders, telling him there was no reason to “celebrate.”

During Tuesday’s Senate coronavirus hearing, Romney took issue with Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir praising the United States’ current testing capacity, saying he expected that spin from politicians but not military officers like Giroir. “Yesterday, you celebrated that we had done more tests per capita than South Korea but ignored fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak and we treaded water in February and March,” Romney declared.

“I find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever,” he added. “The fact is their test numbers are going down, down, down, down now because they don’t have the kind of outbreak we have. Ours are going up, up, up and that is an important lesson for us as we think about the future.”