Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Shake-Up: Caputo On Leave After CDC Rant, Interference; Adviser Out
The Washington Post: Top Trump Health Appointee Taking Medical Leave After Insurrection Remarks
The Department of Health and Human Services’ top communications official is going on medical leave, three days after urging President Trump’s supporters to prepare for an armed insurrection and accusing scientists in his own agency of “sedition,” HHS announced Wednesday. Michael Caputo, assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS, leveled the accusations and promoted other conspiracy theories in a Facebook Live event on Sunday. (Abutaleb, Dawsey and Sun, 9/16)
NPR: HHS Spokesperson Takes Leave of Absence After Disparaging Government Scientists
The leave of absence effectively removes Caputo from government operations through November's election. The statement also announced that Paul Alexander, whom Caputo had brought in as a scientific adviser, would be leaving the department altogether. Last week, Caputo came under fire after reports that he and Alexander sought to edit and delay public health reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emails from Alexander obtained by Politico complained to CDC Director Robert Redfield that the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report "hurt the President," and described data-based publications on the risk of the coronavirus in children as "hit pieces on the administration" that undermined Trump's school reopening plan. (Huang, 9/16)
AP: Health Official On Leave Amid Political Interference Furor
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who leads a special panel overseeing the government’s COVID-19 response, called the shakeup at HHS “an important first step.” Nonetheless, Clyburn said he has started an investigation into Caputo’s alleged effort to interfere with the CDC publication. Caputo’s short tenure was marked by devotion to Trump, disdain for Democrats and the media, along with some scientists, as well as hints that he felt personally hounded by political enemies. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/16)
Politico: How Michael Caputo Shook Up Health And Human Services
After it became clear in mid-April that his administration’s response to Covid-19 was threatening his re-election, President Donald Trump considered a leadership shake-up within a health department whose rivalries and battles with the White House had hampered efforts to contain the virus.Instead, Trump made a different move: He personally intervened to place his campaign aide Michael Caputo — a confidant of disgraced operative Roger Stone who had himself come under scrutiny for his ties to top Russian officials — as assistant Health and Human Services secretary for public affairs. Trump — not HHS Secretary Alex Azar — approached Caputo about the job, and Caputo has repeatedly emphasized that he works for the president, health officials told POLITICO. (Diamond, Cancryn and Owermohle, 9/16)
In related news —
The Hill: CDC Director Pushes Back On Caputo Claim Of 'Resistance Unit' At Agency
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield on Wednesday defended his agency from claims by a top health department official that there is a "resistance unit" plotting against President Trump in the CDC. Redfield was asked at a Senate hearing about an extraordinary Facebook Live video streamed Sunday where the Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS) top spokesman, Michael Caputo, said career scientists are plotting against the president and encouraged Trump supporters to arm themselves ahead of the election. (Sullivan, 9/16)
