The story of previous guy’s crimes against humanity in the COVID response seems overshadowed by the current possibility of actual prison time for obstruction.
(2020) The need for oversight of Trump administration coronavirus spending has reached an inflection point.[1] Over the past few weeks, there have been reports that 27 clients of Trump-connected lobbyists have received up to $10.5 billion of that spending;[2] that beneficiaries have also included multiple entities linked to the family of Jared Kushner and other Trump associates and political allies;[3] that up to $273 million was awarded to more than 100 companies that are owned or operated by major donors to Trump’s election efforts;[4] that unnecessary blanket ethics waivers have been applied to potential administration conflicts of interest;[5] and that many other transactions meriting further investigation have occurred.[6]
www.brookings.edu/...
The craven cynicism of the tactics uncovered in the select subcommittee report
For example, engaging conspiracy theorists and extremists to push the false narrative that hydroxychloroquine was effective and but being suppressed by deep state forces or whatever. This disinformation cost lives.
Or weaponizing the Department of Justice to harass and "shut up" (their words, not mine) the leaders of the US pandemic response.
Lying to the public about possible treatments on a gross scale.
Maybe this is neither here nor there, but I'm struck by the centrality of Stephen Hatfill in all of this. John Ashcroft declared Hatfill a "person of interest" in the 2001 anthrax attacks though Hatfill was never charged and investigators laid full responsibility on Bruce Ivers.
Hatfill won a 4.6 million dollar settlement against the federal government for violating his rights in speaking to reporters about the case.
He was also a participant in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
But that's all just a weird and minor plot twist.
What is so striking about the report — which is well worth reading in full — is how aggressively the executive branch of the federal government worked to kneecap the public health response to the pandemic for political gain.
For those of us who received months or years of death threats, it's particularly striking to read how the White House actively and knowingly engaged the very factions responsible for this concerted effort at harassing and silencing public health practitioners nationwide.
The report makes it abundantly clear that the Trump administration repeatedly crossed the line between incompetence and malice, actively working against the national interest while spreading disinformation that cost American lives—all in pursuit of political gain.
Finally: Given the degree of malfeasance revealed in the report, it's astonishing how little our public health response has improved under a new administration. It's hard to imagine how mere disorganization and ineptitude could so closely approximate this level of malevolence.
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