Meadows wanted to cease fire on Fauci. Navarro had other plans.
WASHINGTON — Chief of staff Mark Meadows thought he had declared a cease-fire in the recent White House blitz against the country's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
But trade adviser Peter Navarro had other plans, penning a scathing op-ed published Tuesday in USA Today blasting Fauci without first getting clearance to do so from the White House press shop.
The move was a blow to Meadows' de-escalation strategy, and puts the former congressman in a similar, frustrating position as his predecessors in the Trump White House: trying to lead a staff where many believe they answer to an audience of one. Meadows has described the job to associates as "intense," with information and decisions flowing much more rapidly than anticipated, said one friend.
Days after an aide had disseminated a document aimed at discrediting Fauci, and following a meeting himself with Fauci earlier this week, Meadows had told staff to "lower the temperature" on the public split, an administration official said. Navarro's move was a clear violation of Meadows' directive, said the official, who declined to say whether Navarro would face any disciplinary action beyond noting that "the chief is addressing that."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/meadows-wanted-to-cease-fire-on-fauci-navarro-had-other-plans/ar-BB16MJdR?li=BBnb7Kz
Sure Trump didn't have something to do with it?
= new reply since forum marked as read
