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White House says it didn't clear Navarro op-ed that attacked Fauci

15 July 2020
 Dan Ackermann

The White House said Wednesday that a USA Today op-ed by economic adviser Peter Navarro attacking Anthony Fauci "didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes."

Why it matters: In a normal administration, Navarro's actions would almost certainly result in his dismissal — but the White House did not immediately indicate any disciplinary action against him. It also further obscures the administration's support of Fauci, days after it put out a statement listing the times he was "wrong on things" in the coronavirus pandemic's early days.

The state of play: In the uncleared op-ed, Navarro wrote that Fauci "has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on."

  • "So when you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauci’s advice, my answer is: only with skepticism and caution," he concluded.
  • Navarro, an economist, has no formal medical education or training.

What they're saying: "The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. @realDonaldTrump values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration," tweeted White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah.

The big picture: White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied earlier this week that the administration had released "opposition research" on Fauci.

  • She instead painted the statement on Fauci's mistakes as "a direct answer to what was a direct question" for a Washington Post piece, even though the administration forwarded that document to other outlets.
  • Fauci said last week that he has not briefed President Trump on the coronavirus in at least two months and that he last saw the president in person at the White House on June 2.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.