Trump sought to 'undermine' COVID-19 response, says panel

[demmiblue]

Source: The Hill

The Trump administration deliberately undermined the nation's coronavirus response for political purposes, including by weakening testing guidance and championing widespread "herd immunity," according to a new report from the House panel investigating the pandemic response.

The staff report released Friday was a summation of the year's work investigating political interference in the pandemic response from Trump officials and the former president himself.

In interviews with officials and from uncovered emails and other documents, the committee found that the former administration failed to heed warnings about supply shortages, blocked public health officials from speaking publicly and neglected the pandemic response in order to focus on the 2020 presidential election and on promoting the lie that the election was "stolen" from Trump through widespread fraud.

New evidence released Friday showed the Trump White House intentionally “softened” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's public health guidance for faith communities.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/586287-house-oversight-report-trump-administration-sought-to-undermine-covid

[CrispyQ]

1. Nothing will happen to him for this.

All those deaths & zero accountability for it. I remember that Jared told Trump to ignore the pandemic when it first showed up in the US, because it was only in blue states. I never took a science class beyond high school, but even I know that you take a contagious disease seriously.

[RKP5637]

8. I fear the mentality of the herd in the US is pretty stupid now. Most can't seem to grasp the

simplest of things/events. One would think they would understand about things that are contagious and prevention, but apparently not. FFS, we learned this in elementary school. The propaganda in the US really sucks, so much of it is aimed at destroying the nation. One really has to pause from time to time and wonder deeply, just WTH is going on ... and the funding for some of it.

[CrispyQ]

9. Massive die off of humanity funded by the global elite?

There was a time that would have sounded like a far-out, science fiction novel.

[RKP5637]

20. Yep, a lot of the far-out crap today was science fiction, many today want humanity to die off except

for their selections ... Sadly, we live in a pretty F'ed up world now.

[2Gingersnaps]

51. What was old is new again.

At Christmas time remember what Scrooge said about the excess population dying and getting it over with? Yeah, that was repeated by Andrew Mellon, the Banker and Treasury Secretary, to Herbert Hoover at the beginning of the Great Depression. That commie FDR had other ideas. Charles Dickens was a strident social critic. That was the conservative mind set THEN that gave birth to the Libertarian movement here.

Herbert Spencer and Frances Galton were the founding fathers of American Libertarianism. Galton was the younger half cousin of Charles Darwin, a polymath and statistician in his own right. He was heavily influenced by Darwin but later in life they strongly disagreed; Darwin did not concur with Galton's belief in "social Darwinism"-crudely defined as survival of the fittest-not mutability of a species to adapt to the environment.

"Survival of the fittest" as defined by Galton was coined by Herbert Spencer. He was more science gadfly than scientist but he was the one who coined "survival of the fittest" seven years before Darwin pulished "On The Origin of Species." He was at that time more famous than Darwin for his social theory-eugenics. Darwin adapted the phrase, but HIS translation of the phrase. That is what started the eugenics movement here at the beginning of 20th Century.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/herbert-spencer-survival-of-the-fittest-180974756/

[Lasher]

52. That is an interesting reaponse.

Thanks.

[Evolve Dammit]

68. nice post. Thanks

[certainot]

32. WTH? ignoring 30 years of rw radio reaching 50 mil a week from 1500 coordinated radio stations is

the biggest political mistake in history

the russians started feeding it piggybacking it in 12 or more years ago. so instead of recognizing the tea party break from establishment GOP as russian-inspired we try to emulate its 'success' with no clue how important the talk radio monopoly was

there's a really fucking easy way to end this - americans who value democracy have to stop ignoring rw radio and make it extremely dumb business for any advertiser, ad company, university (87+), and pro sports owners to use RW radio stations

AI gives tools that can make stoprush x 100 easy

[Turbineguy]

45. It's been my contention that the Tea Party

was originally conceived on Dzerzhinsky Square during the Brezhnev administration, died with the collapse of the Soviet Union and was resurrected by Putin.

[erronis]

73. Good chance. Of course the west has tried similar tactics but the Russkis are good chess players.

Their in it for the long game.

[RKP5637]

49. Well Said!!! Especially this

" ... there's a really fucking easy way to end this - americans who value democracy have to stop ignoring rw radio and make it extremely dumb business for any advertiser, ad company, university (87+), and pro sports owners to use RW radio stations

AI gives tools that can make stoprush x 100 easy"

[certainot]

56. a few people with AI and database chops could take down the only unique advantage the cons have

on a smaller scale there are automated recording tools and free and cheap transcribing and text analyzing tools that allow local radio blowhards pushing to end roe or denying global warming and covid and selling voter suppression or attacking your local/state reps to be searched for words like "DOT COM" and get sponsors contact info with little listening required.

it wouldn't take long before advertisers to get the message and the radio ad industry would have to break up the monopoly or lose too many sponsors

[Escurumbele]

17. Can we place our energies in saying "he will go to jail for this" instead?

When we say "nothing will happen" we are giving them permission for nothing to happen, lets change the script please.

[CrispyQ]

27. He may go to jail, but it won't be because of his poor response to Covid. -nt

[Magoo48]

34. Perhaps we the people should file a class action for mental and physical anguish.

[IronLionZion]

2. They were trying to kill us

we all saw it happen. It has backfired badly by now as it's impacting red counties and GOP voters disproportionately.

[Cracklin Charlie]

3. They are not done.

Still trying.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. They could afford to allow Trump voters to die

because Trump planned to steal the election anyway.

[MontanaMama]

14. He plans to steal the next one too.

The Q party is working hard to steal the house as well.

[localroger]

36. Before the vaccines, it was thought more city (Dem) folks than country (Pubs) would die

They thought Covid would make it easier for them to win. Now that the vaccines and their own propaganda have reversed the situation, stealing the election is their only hope to go forward.

[House of Roberts]

6. Backfired by the difference of the very nature of the two sides.

The right became defiant against even the most common sense precautions, while the left took extra precautions, as they became available.

[onecaliberal]

61. They are not trying they ARE killing us.

[Beachnutt]

4. Why did they investigate this if no one

will be held accountable ?
Kinda like doing a murder investigation and finding the murderer and doing nothing..

[CrispyQ]

10. We use this info next year to remind people why it's important to vote & to vote democratic. -nt

[electric_blue68]

54. Yup. And remind them how TFG really lagged on good covid policy! ...

And, of course, highlight Biden's and Democrats achievements. 👍

[NJCher]

7. could I ask the point of

these comments that say he will not suffer any repercussions?

Just curious? What is that supposed to achieve?

[ChazInAz]

18. It seems to be an automatic response from some members.

Really tiresome and self-defeating.
We're trying to solve major problems, while the GQP is standing outside the tent pissing in, and some of our own are inside pissing in the corners.

[ShazzieB]

63. Excellent summation.

There have been way too many posts like that at DU in recent months, and I have ranted about how much I hate them before this. In fact, if I don't stop now, I'll work myself into another rant. So I'm stopping.

[Escurumbele]

22. Nothing, just for anyone from the other side to rejoice to learn Democrats thing republicans are

immune to suffer consequences from the justice system.

We need to change the script.

[NJCher]

55. that might be the strategic goal of republicans

If you can make the enemy think they are defeated already, so why fight? The enemy can save him/herself a lot of trouble.

[RobertDevereaux]

11. Of course. He is a mass murderer, as are his cultists...

Half a million or more unnecessary American deaths.

[oldsoftie]

12. He's so damn stupid. If he'd done the right thing he very well may have won.

And he KNEW early on it was serious. SO STUPID he thought if HE ignored it then everyone else would too. If he had been aggressive about the threat its likely he would have won; considering the razor thin margin of victory.
But he was too stupid to realize it and too arrogant to try to fix it. That would have entailed admitting he was wrong.

[patphil]

23. You're right on the money.

All he had to do was give the country a "we can beat this thing" pep talk, and get people to do the right thing to minimize the danger. His reelection would have been all but assured.
But, he didn't. His active denial of the threat cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and was the single biggest factor in his loss to Biden.
He was afraid to take responsibility for tanking the economy, which happened anyway.
Stupid, arrogant, and may I add callous to your assessment.

[Evolve Dammit]

70. It's up there with having messed up hair. Meadows book mentioned that and 45 had a hissy.

Apparently, when Orange Julius had covid he looked pretty bad, (understandably). So worried about projecting any weakness. Hair??
But the sociopathic dicktater can't do what's right, he always has to control the perception. And if he had been honest (not that he is capable of that) hundreds of thousands would be alive today.

[oldsoftie]

72. Thats wnother oddity; why hasnt he just gotten hair transplants?

Tons of men have it done & nobody ever knows.

[Evolve Dammit]

76. Well, his doctors office was raided and all his records stolen in the first year. You can bet there

was all kinds of meds and "treatments" administered. He should not have been allowed to get away with that blatant authoritarian mob-style raid, but he did. His Doctor said he felt "raped" after the raid. Records probably destroyed.

[Botany]

13. TFG was told of the coming Pandemic in the fall of 2019 and what did he do?

He and Jared bought hydroxycholoroquine and their own C-19 test kits neither of which worked, lied
repeatedly about the disease to the American people and the world, shipped 18 tons of PPE to China
in Feb. 2020, and all this was after TFG got rid of all the personal, protocols, and materials that President
Obama left in place that would have stopped the disease and in all likelihood stopped it in China too.

Obama stopped Ebola with 2 deaths.

TFG has > 1,000,000 (real #) dead Americans on his hands.

[Botany]

33. I have read that one of the reasons TFG had Kushner and Pompeo ship the PPE to China was ...

... because according to the Steele Dossier (pee pee tapes) both TFG and Kushner owed
China 10s of millions.

That little shit, Kushner, took 20 million doses of the vaccine on his way out the door in 2021.
Saudis and rich friends???

[monkeyman1]

31. all that news back then ,-

people just seem to forget , the real shocker is that he should have been charged & impeached back then for that-dereliction of duty , but got that executive privledge thing he used all the time ? go figure

[Botany]

37. Trump should be indicited, given a fair trial, and then punished for all those murders

n/t

[monkeyman1]

39. Leavenworth is a good choice!!!

[Botany]

42. I like a "Warden Norton" moment from Shawshank Redemption or a chair @ sunrise .... I have to stop

God only knows the real # worldwide that have died because of his handling of C-19.

[monkeyman1]

48. good one !! Nurenberg trails style court & have the Gallows out back !!!

[DENVERPOPS]

69. Make no mistake

They were dragging their heels to have the time to position themselves for maximum profiteering and minimal losses from the Covid.
Ivanka and Jared were working night and day to grift off of every last possibility to make money from the Pandemic.

Same with everyone in the Trump Cabinet and administration, The entire Republican Senate and House members. And all the Republican uber wealthy MAGAs.............Just look at all the insider trading done after a secret Republican Senate Meeting...........

[Botany]

74. And when Jared found out that P.P.E. was in short supply he tried to make money off of it.

“The notion of the federal stockpile (P.P.E.) is that it’s supposed to be our stockpile. It’s not supposed to be states’
stockpiles that they then use.” Jared Kushner. April 2020

He even had federal agents seize P.P.E. shipments that state, local, or private businesses (hospitals) had ordered and
then he tried to resell those supplies to the highest bidder. It got so bad that organizations had to have their P.P.E.
delivered unmarked and or have armed local law enforcement protect those shipments.

That little mother fucker should be sitting in jail right now.

Medical workers wearing garbage bags because we had no P.P.E. in part due to Kushner selling it to China
and TFG's failure to ramp up production of P.P.E. even after he knew that the pandemic was coming.




This lack of the needed materials killed people and spread the disease in the winter and spring of 2020.

[DENVERPOPS]

75. I remember when the Governor of Massachusetts,

like you said, enlisted the help of the owner of the NFL team to bring the supplies, (directly from China to Boston), in on his private airlines, ordering the pilots to bypass customs at the airport, land way out on the tarmac, have semis ready to unload and transport the goods surrounded by armed State Police escorts to the hospitals.
The FBI had been intercepting countless shipments of goods, ordered by Hospitals, and turned the entire shipments over to Trump's family members. That was bad enough, but Trump also sold the pirated PPE to Red States, ignoring the Blue States. One report was that he sent Florida 3X the amount they requested.

Jared was intercepting all shipments into the U.S., pirating them and like you said, selling them to the highest bidder. I'm sure there was a major commission involved for Jared and the female devil's spawn of Trump.......

I can only reflect on: What would have happened to any Dem politician ever attempted a major grift like what Jared and the Barby Doll Ivanka pulled off to illegally profit off the Covid Pandemic.......

[quakerboy]

15. also, the sun comes up in the east.

[Mr. Ected]

16. Trump and the Trumpists don't care about viruses, life & death, or governance

Everything - EVERYTHING - they do is Kabuki Theater for the FOX crowd, to sway their emotions and heap a load of hate on liberals and Democrats....and themselves. Because Trump hates the MAGA crowd as much as he hates us. They're a means to an end for him; we're the defiant enemies.

[BlueWavePsych]

24. K&R

[SKKY]

26. We already knew this. He said as much to Bob Woodward on that recorded audio...

...not sure why this is news.

[ananda]

30. And he had a lot of help from Republicans in Texas.

!!!

[FarPoint]

35. This was obvious to folks like me....

Long time RN since the 90's....we know what he was doing....as did most of us here at DU....

[Backseat Driver]

40. Well, duh!

GOP found what is purported as an all-purpose, all-natural way to eliminate "useless eaters" of all ages, races, and all those other protected groups of Americans they despise for even existing, some even being just devalued to merely "collateral damage" loser status to the DJTumpsters, not to mention global friends and foes alike...They purposely used that virus as a "gain of function" entity. One can readily see how ultimate selfishness, fear, and danger exists in the destructive minions who are anti-democracy and so "special": their world, their material gods, beliefs, and bad behaviors for a vote that might instead recognize goodness and value in others anywhere!

[monkeyman1]

60. the media is a bunch of real rocket scientist's !!

their a day late & a whole bunch of click bait late !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Traildogbob]

41. At this point

All WE can do is get all vaccines, mask, distance, stay away from crowds and let the rest die. There IS too many people here and this will allow those less deserving to be here to die. I am done. Just hurry up and die. Sitting outside my barbers, They require masks, and As I wait, 7-8 people have come and gone without masks at all. The two barbers are always masked .The lead barber/owner is a close friend. The selfishness and ass holery of these customers is sick. I triple mask and scrub hands thoroughly. 8 years military, and now put my life on the line for a damn haircut. Just damn it all. Instead of survival of the fittest, our species will be extinction of the stupidest. But ya know what, as Darwin learned, our species will come out much better. Look at the upside. A paradise planet, with smart people, I mass murdering, no Fox anything, clean healthy planet, and few enough population density gives us resources to share. I would say happy new year, but we said the at the end of 2019 and 2020, and look what happened. Maybe Merry New Year will break the spell. Be safe all, wish great health and peace to all of you.

[llashram]

43. ya think!!!

the trump disaster went on to undermine the minds of those deluded by him. And the virus, because of him, is still being spread in lethal doses by his acolytes...chumps. 800,000 dead and rising. How many have been permanently hurt by this virus's complications? Massive numbers.

[Efilroft Sul]

44. Only those in a death cult could believe Trump is worthy of being a leader.

[dalton99a]

46. The traitor wanted to kill as many Americans as he could.

[LymphocyteLover]

47. NO shit. This was obvious from the beginning. Question is-- what are we going to do about it?

[ybbor]

50. He never cared

He asked Dr. Fauci what if it just “washed over” the society?

[Tommymac]

53. K&R for the 800,000

who can't kick anymore.

[niyad]

57. Why is"undermine" in quotes? Perhaps sabotage would be better? Explode? Destroy?

[tanyev]

58. And a lot of people preferred appeasing a malignant narcissist over saving lives.

[Kali]

62. ah, one of those NO SHIT, SHERLOCK reports

[Cha]

64. File that under..

No Shite Sherlock!

[AZLD4Candidate]

65. Mao and Stalin never killed anyone themselvs. Their minions did. Same with Hitler

who ran away from the Beer Hall Putsch when someone next to him got shot.

Trump didn't kill anyone. His words and actions, as well as his brainwashing minions did.

He is responsible for all of this. This is what happens, people, when a person with the Dark Triad becomes a leader.

[Stuart G]

66. Trump will be noted as "the most selfish" and WORST PRESIDENT EVER!!!

[monkeyman1]

67. "THE HILL " IS ABOUT 2 YRS F#$KING LATE !! nice going media !!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

71. Color me surprised :)

When this is all said and done, he will be revealed for what we all knew he was before the election; an inept, bumbling, wanna be tough guy who put the entire nation at risk, more than once..............