CDC Hits Back After WH Trade Adviser Criticism: CDC Director Is “Appointed by President Trump”

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro blamed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “let[ting] the country down” on testing Sunday. Navarro made the remarks on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” In response, the CDC told CNN, “We should remind Mr. Navarro that the CDC is a federal agency part of the administration. The CDC director is an appointed position, and Dr. Redfield was appointed by President Trump. If there is criticism of the CDC, ultimately Mr. Navarro is being critical of the president.”

On Thursday, the White House released a six-page document outlining basic steps local governments could take to reopen their economies. The document’s release came after the White House shelved a more detailed — and much more strict — 68-page planning document produced by the CDC, requested by White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, and leaked to the media last week.