Dr. Fauci blocked by White House from testifying before Congress this week
From CNN;In response to:
White House blocks Fauci from testifying next week
By Jim Acosta and Caroline Kelly, CNN
Updated 5:38 PM ET, Sat May 2, 2020
(CNN)The White House is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the administration's coronavirus task force, from testifying before the Democratic-led House next week, according to a spokesman from a key House committee.
"The Appropriations Committee sought Dr. Anthony Fauci as a witness at next week's Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 response. We have been informed by an administration official that the White House has blocked Dr. Fauci from testifying," House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said in a statement Friday.
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere confirmed the decision.
"While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings," Deere said in a statement. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany followed up on Deere's comments, explaining in an interview Saturday the reasoning behind the White House's decision.
"When we pressed for details as to why Dr. Fauci in particular was the right person for the testimony and this hearing, those details were never provided," McEnany said in a Fox News interview.
In a gaggle with reporters after her interview on Fox, McEnany said the administration wanted to make sure that the "subject matter of the hearing matched the individual they're requesting" and in this case, "there was never any clarity given forth as to what the actual subject matter of this hearing would be."
Though when asked by CNN's Jeremy Diamond if Fauci or other officials will be allowed to testify in front of other House committees in the future, McEnany said "absolutely."
It appears Fauci is expected to testify in front of a committee of the Republican-led Senate committee during May. He will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on May 12, per an aide to the panel's chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.
"Chairman Alexander looks forward to hearing from Dr. Fauci and other administration officials at the Senate health committee's second hearing back, which will be on Tuesday, May 12," the aide told CNN.
While the move to block House testimony comes after the House abruptly canceled plans on Tuesday to return to the Capitol next week, it prevented a potential meeting between a blunt, high-ranking expert who has dissented from President Donald Trump's account of the federal response and lawmakers gearing up for an oversight battle. Fauci has repeatedly veered from Trump's framing of the federal government's handling of the pandemic, as recently as the past few days.
On Friday, Trump said that he is generally supportive of Georgia's efforts to reopen some businesses, but that he is upset with Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to open spas and tattoo parlors before meeting federal guidelines on such businesses reopening.
"I think it's wonderful. I want to see us open safely. But I didn't like spas and tattoo parlors and I was not thrilled about that, but I said nothing about Georgia other than that," Trump said.
Fauci had struck a different tone during a CNN town hall Thursday night, lamenting that "there are some states, some cities ... kind of leapfrogging over the first checkpoint."
"And, I mean, obviously you could get away with that, but you are making a really significant risk," he added. "I hope they can actually handle any rebound that they see."
White House blocks Fauci from testifying next week
By Jim Acosta and Caroline Kelly, CNN
Updated 5:38 PM ET, Sat May 2, 2020
(CNN)The White House is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the administration's coronavirus task force, from testifying before the Democratic-led House next week, according to a spokesman from a key House committee.
"The Appropriations Committee sought Dr. Anthony Fauci as a witness at next week's Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 response. We have been informed by an administration official that the White House has blocked Dr. Fauci from testifying," House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said in a statement Friday.
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere confirmed the decision.
"While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings," Deere said in a statement. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany followed up on Deere's comments, explaining in an interview Saturday the reasoning behind the White House's decision.
"When we pressed for details as to why Dr. Fauci in particular was the right person for the testimony and this hearing, those details were never provided," McEnany said in a Fox News interview.
In a gaggle with reporters after her interview on Fox, McEnany said the administration wanted to make sure that the "subject matter of the hearing matched the individual they're requesting" and in this case, "there was never any clarity given forth as to what the actual subject matter of this hearing would be."
Though when asked by CNN's Jeremy Diamond if Fauci or other officials will be allowed to testify in front of other House committees in the future, McEnany said "absolutely."
It appears Fauci is expected to testify in front of a committee of the Republican-led Senate committee during May. He will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on May 12, per an aide to the panel's chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.
"Chairman Alexander looks forward to hearing from Dr. Fauci and other administration officials at the Senate health committee's second hearing back, which will be on Tuesday, May 12," the aide told CNN.
While the move to block House testimony comes after the House abruptly canceled plans on Tuesday to return to the Capitol next week, it prevented a potential meeting between a blunt, high-ranking expert who has dissented from President Donald Trump's account of the federal response and lawmakers gearing up for an oversight battle. Fauci has repeatedly veered from Trump's framing of the federal government's handling of the pandemic, as recently as the past few days.
On Friday, Trump said that he is generally supportive of Georgia's efforts to reopen some businesses, but that he is upset with Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to open spas and tattoo parlors before meeting federal guidelines on such businesses reopening.
"I think it's wonderful. I want to see us open safely. But I didn't like spas and tattoo parlors and I was not thrilled about that, but I said nothing about Georgia other than that," Trump said.
Fauci had struck a different tone during a CNN town hall Thursday night, lamenting that "there are some states, some cities ... kind of leapfrogging over the first checkpoint."
"And, I mean, obviously you could get away with that, but you are making a really significant risk," he added. "I hope they can actually handle any rebound that they see."
(continued in my first comment below)
Comments (12)
Fauci was also critical of the current testing capacity during his testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in March.
"The system does not, is not really geared to what we need right now, to what you are asking for," he told lawmakers at the time.
"It is a failing. Let's admit it," he said, adding that "the idea of anybody getting it easily, the way people in other countries are doing it, we are not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes. But we are not."
Testing has proven to be a continued sticking point between Trump and Fauci.
Fauci said during a Time 100 Talks interview last week that he was "not overly confident right now at all, that we have what it takes to" significantly ramp up testing.
Trump pushed back during a press briefing later that day -- from which Fauci was absent -- and said that "I don't agree with him on that, no. I think we're doing a great job on testing."
The decision to keep Fauci from appearing before the House committee comes as House Democrats are preparing for a multi-front investigation into the federal coronavirus response.
The CARES Act coronavirus aid package created a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, made up of 21 members from offices of inspectors general across the federal government, to help coordinate investigations into various elements of the outbreak response.
Some of the investigations are already underway. The inspectors general from three key agencies updated the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday on four investigations into potential issues with the federal government's coronavirus response, the committee said.
The watchdogs referenced plans for the use of "flash reports" to provide frequent updates on the probes, as well as possible protections for the inspectors general in light of Trump's ouster of several such independent watchdogs, according to a news release from the committee.
Obviously, it is something the guilty would do.
An innocent individual would help an investigation, not hinder it.
that you have a very twisted view of what transpired.
The Republicans made many ridiculous attempts to interfere with the proceedings,
including blocking witnesses.
The only honest ones were Romney (and Amash, who was so embarrassed by Republican behavior, that he left the party).
It is the Republicans (except for Romney), who should pay the price for dishonesty come November.
Perhaps the midterm elections fortell exactly that.
Indeed, if Republicans have any conscience, they should vote for Amash, who is running
independently for the Libertarian Party, instead of the criminal "so-called" presidential disaster currently taking up space in the Oval Office.
I would not read, much less argue with a foreigner who has no concept of what is happening in our country.
Some tune into a certain media and then regurgitate what they heard and think they know it all.
Not a darn thing affects them locally.
However, some refuse to learn and instead, just make excuses for terrible behavior, without realizing, that it reflects back on them, no one else.
c - perhaps this might interest you;
Trump’s Conflicts of Interest in China
By Carolyn Kenney and John Norris June 14, 2017, 12:01 am
China spots an easy mark
Before becoming the 45th president, Donald Trump’s efforts to develop businesses in China were most notable for their failures. A 2008 deal with the Chinese Evergrande Group to develop an office complex never came to fruition, and a 2012 deal with the electric utility State Grid Corporation of China to develop property in Beijing fell apart after State Grid was found to have been illegally using public land for the project. In October 2016, Chinese news media quoted Trump Hotel’s—formerly Trump Hotel Collection’s—CEO Eric Danziger telling attendees of a hospitality conference in Hong Kong that the group was still planning to open Trump hotels in 20 to 30 Chinese cities, as well as Scion—the brand Trump’s sons are planning to expand—hotels in other cities. These comments showed a remarkable level of ambition given Trump’s stalled efforts in China up to that time.
Indeed, Trump had tried for more than a decade to register trademarks in China to provide “construction-information,” essentially real estate agent, services in that country, only to be met with a series of unsuccessful rulings and appeals. Since 2005, Trump has applied for at least 130 trademarks in China, all of which—until recently—were met with zero success.
What is very important to note about China is how heavily involved the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) is in all decision-making processes, not only across all government agencies but also in the judiciary, which is not independent, as well as in state-owned enterprises, which include state-run banks. Regarding state-owned enterprises, China’s President Xi Jinping recently reminded these companies that the CPC has ultimate say over their decisions, stating, “Party leadership and building the role of the party are the root and soul for state-owned enterprises. The party’s leadership in state-owned enterprises is a major political principle, and that principle must be insisted on.” As such, any decisions made at state-owned enterprises are invariably influenced—and sometimes made—by the Chinese government, including decisions regarding the hiring, firing, and promotion of individuals who work in these enterprises.
Here is the danger of Trump’s conflicts of interest for the United States. Prior to taking office, on December 2, 2016, Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on the phone in an extraordinary breach of decades of U.S. foreign policy and protocol regarding China and Taiwan. Shortly after the call, it emerged that the Trump Organization was reportedly exploring the expansion of its business into Taiwan, reports that the organization has denied. In a televised interview, the mayor of Taoyuan, Taiwan, said that he had met with a representative of the Trump Organization in September to discuss possible real estate projects, and at least one Trump employee was found to have posted that she was in Taiwan on a business trip at the time.
As summarized in an Atlantic article, “The president of the United States breached decades of international protocol created to preserve a precarious balance of power. That decision raised not only the possibility that Trump was blundering into a potential international incident but also that he may have done so in part out of consideration for his business prospects.”
there was nothing 'in it' for him as running for president
He could have just retired in peace and lounged about at Mar A Lago.
how he's acted as president.
Plus, his stupid trade war with China has resulted in higher prices for the American consumer.
This is exacerbated further from his mishandling of the pandemic.
As far as Flynn is concerned, he plead "guilty" to 2 counts. The only reason he is getting off, is because of Trump's hand picked AG, Barr, who has proven time & time & time again, that he sees his job
as protector of Trump. He has sold his soul to the devil (figuratively). Both he AND Trump should be removed from office.
As far as the pandemic is concerned, no one else is president, so of course Trump has to act first.
But, it was too late and too incomplete. He ignored at least 10 warnings prior.
Plus, he did not take charge of acquiring the necessary supplies; ventilators, masks, tests, etc...
Instead, he had the 50 states bid against each other. It created a horrible situation.
Then add to it all the misinformation he added. It all led to lives being lost due to him.
A new poll showed that most of the nation agrees, that he mishandled the pandemic.