Trump administration barred a top US disease expert from speaking freely

The Trump administration barred a top US disease expert from speaking freely to the public after he warned the coronavirus might be impossible to contain

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-anthony-fauci-trump-admin-stops-discussion-2020-2?fbclid=IwAR1UdIW1T5lCAHUw3J8RYUho0dMNQS3yDH1k-asup0hACLIMaI-Y5zrpQYU

The Trump administration has barred Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), from speaking publicly about the novel coronavirus without approval, according to The New York Times.
Fauci is one of the top experts in the US on infectious diseases, and his sober public messages have contrasted with President Donald Trump’s optimistic claims about the impact of the illness.
An NIAID spokesperson told Business Insider the claim in the Times report is “not true.”
Experts have criticized the Trump administration for effectively muzzling Fauci with the US facing its most serious public-health crisis in years.

President Donald Trump’s administration has barred one of the top US experts on infectious diseases from speaking out about the coronavirus outbreak without permission from the White House, The New York Times reported Thursday, in an apparent bid to stop contradictory messages about the public-health crisis.

At a Wednesday press conference, Trump announced that Vice President Mike Pence — who has faced criticism for his handling of an HIV outbreak as Indiana governor — would lead US efforts to halt the spread of the illness and that Pence would report directly to Trump.

Among the first steps Pence took was to institute measures to coordinate messaging, which would require top officials to seek clearance before making public statements on the illness.

Those officials included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He told associates the White House “had instructed him not to say anything else without clearance,” The Times said.

“This is not true,” said a NIAID spokesperson of the report, in an emailed statement to Business Insider.

Fauci has led the institute — a federal agency focused on researching infectious diseases — since 1984, and he has a key role in coordinating efforts on global health issues, according to the agency’s website.

He has also advised six presidents on domestic and global health issues such as HIV and AIDS.