CONTROLLING THE MESSAGE

Trump Administration Plants Two Political Operatives at CDC to Soften Messaging on COVID

Appointees with no public-health background are reportedly there to help soften information disseminated to the public about COVID and stop “upsetting the apple cart.”

The Trump administration has appointed two political operatives to posts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an attempt to control the messaging on the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reports. The appointees arrived on the job without clear assignments or even offices before Nina Witkofsky was named acting chief of staff and Chester “Trey” Moeller became her deputy. Neither have any public-health background and are tasked with keeping Robert Redfield, the CDC director, and other top scientists in line, according to sources inside the agency and Trump administration who spoke to the AP. The appointments of the “politicals” are meant to control leaks coming out of the agency that the sources said were “upsetting the apple cart” within the Trump White House.