The move comes amid White House anger over stories claiming the HHS chief had warned the president repeatedly about coronavirus.
The White House is installing Trump campaign veteran Michael Caputo in the health department’s top communications position, Caputo confirmed to POLITICO.
The move is designed to assert more White House control over Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, whom officials believe has been behind recent critical reports about President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to two officials with knowledge of the move.
Caputo, whose title will be assistant secretary of HHS for public affairs, said in a text message, “I am honored to serve the President to the best of my abilities in this time of crisis and, in so doing, the American people.”
Caputo is an intense Trump loyalist whose recent book The Ukraine Hoax alleged a conspiracy behind Trump’s impeachment.
The high-level move comes after a series of news reports that portrayed Azar as warning Trump about the pending Covid-19 pandemic in January but having the president and his aides dismiss his concerns. Trump on Sunday tweeted that Azar “told me nothing until later,” appearing to refute those reports.
White House officials believe that Azar has been shaping favorable coverage of his handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and trying to shift blame for the administration’s mishandled response, said two officials with knowledge of the situation. White House frustration with Azar also dates back to last year, with officials unhappy about his long-running feud with Medicare chief Seema Verma, Azar’s nominal deputy who maintains her own strong relationship with Trump…
To read the entire article from Politico, click https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/michael-caputo-azar-hhs-189046
