The director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, Peter Navarro, penned this blistering op-ed that outlined all of the time Dr. Anthony Fuaci “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on”:
Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on: Peter Navarro. #Opposingview: When you ask me whether I listen to his advice, my answer is only with skepticism and caution #COVID https://t.co/XwwZ1xDrM4
— USA TODAY Opinion (@usatodayopinion) July 15, 2020
An excerpt:
In late January, when I was making the case on behalf of the president to take down the flights from China, Fauci fought against the president’s courageous decision — which might well have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives.
When I warned in late January in a memo of a possibly deadly pandemic, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was telling the news media not to worry.
The White House is saying this morning that Navarro went “rouge” and Navarro owes him an apology:
A senior White House official tells me: “Navarro went rogue, and put out his personal opinion without any approvals. The White House does not stand by these unauthorized opinions and Mr. Navarro owes Dr. Fauci an apology.” https://t.co/mMhFULIiHG
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) July 15, 2020
And now there’s a journo meltdown in progress over the factual statements Navarro made, apparently out of school:
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The White House isn’t going after Fauci, you see, they’re just letting their trade adviser write an op-ed devoted to criticizing him. https://t.co/lTsvvM4dSY
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 15, 2020
Or, maybe they’re mad Navarro was right about shutting down travel and declaring it a pandemic when the “experts” were saying the opposite?
Amid an out-of-control pandemic, the White House is devoting time to op-eds aimed at discrediting the government’s top infectious disease expert because he committed the sin of stating facts the president doesn’t like https://t.co/a0rW1HX1kB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 15, 2020
Well, it’s not supposed to be subtle:
This is not subtle. https://t.co/8HFbKUcV5G
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) July 15, 2020
Is it “totally normal behavior” to give “experts” a pass when they were completely wrong?
WH sanctions oped by WH trade adviser to attack nation’s top infectious disease expert. Totally normal behavior. https://t.co/BtwJEoKaqy
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 15, 2020
Ah. Navarro can be criticized, but not Dr. Fauci:
This seems like the appropriate place to remind everyone that Peter Navarro has been wrong about everything having to do with trade policy. https://t.co/ZhRRmjjr3h https://t.co/1dlrTb5aIi
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) July 15, 2020
“Kooky,” even:
portrait of Donald Trump’s WH in miniature:
trade adviser Peter Navarro, regarded as kooky by mainstream figures in his own field of economics, attacks Anthony Fauci, who commands broad respect from public health colleagues and average Americans
attacks him on public health https://t.co/R7sz9jksfb
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 15, 2020
Apparently, Navarro sent these talking points to the media before USA Today ran it as an op-ed:
Navarro had been circulating the statement that USA Today published as an op-ed, for what it's worth.https://t.co/HwfxlUda9j
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) July 15, 2020
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