Republicans Breaking With Trump Line On Coronavirus Pandemic As Cases Surge

Adm. Brett Giroir on Tuesday pushed back on President Trump’s effort to undermine confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying though government health experts may make errors, “none of us lie.”

Giroir, who is in charge of the nation’s coronavirus testing program, responded to a question on NBC’s “Today” show regarding a Trump retweet that called CDC experts liars trying to undermine the president’s reelection prospects.

“I’m a physician. I’m a scientist. I’m not a Twitter analyst. … Look, we may occasionally make mistakes based on the information we have, but none of us lie. We are completely transparent with the American people,” Giroir said.

Trump has been at odds with the CDC over coronavirus mitigation guidelines, calling them too tough, and also has attempted to sideline Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, for refusing to follow the president’s lead in downplaying the danger of the pandemic.

Giroir said he works closely with Fauci, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and other members of the coronavirus task force, and “none of us are right all the time” but are working to develop a solution for the pandemic.

Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters Tuesday there is no problem with Fauci.

“I think any effort to undermine him is not going to be productive, quite frankly,” said Graham, who has been one of Trump’s more vocal supporters. He called Fauci one of the “smartest” people he knows.

Other Republicans also are breaking with Trump’s coronavirus pronouncements. Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was highly critical in a CNBC op-ed of the administration’s testing program, which Trump has described as the best in the world. Mulvaney recounted his family’s problems in getting tested, calling the delays “inexcusable.”

Giroir said tests are averaging 640,000 a day, with 800,000 performed on some days, but results from commercial labs still are lagging. Experts have said the country should be testing 1 million people a day, but Trump has suggested cutting back testing to reduce the U.S. case count.

As for Trump’s push to get schools fully open in the fall, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., told Fox News he wants kids back in school “but if and only if, and I say that with capital letters, it is safe.”

“We don’t want a reemergence, we don’t want young people getting sick or bringing it home to their parents, or the teachers, some of whom are upwards in their age risk who could also be at further risk of contracting the disease,” Smith said.

In Florida, which set a record for new cases on Saturday, Gov. Rick DeSantis took a more measured tone on Monday, attempting to tamp down residents’ fears and acknowledging more, and faster testing is needed.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott gave local leaders more power to decide whether face coverings should be worn.

Several lawmakers, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have canceled plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, at the end of August, citing infection fears.

By midafternoon Tuesday, nearly 3.4 million coronavirus cases had been confirmed in the U.S. with more than 136,000 deaths from COVID-19.