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FDA fires brand new spokesperson after Trump exaggerates plasma as coronavirus 'breakthrough' at RNC

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Category: News & Politics

Via: john-russell • 4 years ago • 7 comments

By: Kathryn Krawczyk (theweek)

Miller didn't have any scientific or medical experience when Trump appointed her, but rather worked for the far-right One America News and advocated for gun rights, Politico notes. But she was reportedly responsible for a Sunday press release announcing the FDA's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 treatment, packaging it as "another achievement in administration's fight against pandemic."

S E E D E D C O N T E N T

that was quick

FDA fires brand new spokesperson after Trump exaggerates plasma as coronavirus 'breakthrough' at RNC

The Food and Drug Administration's top spokesperson is out after approximately one Scaramucci at the helm.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn fired Emily Miller as the agency's assistant commissioner for media affairs and top spokesperson, according to emails he sent to senior leaders Friday. Miller just joined the department 11 days ago, and one of her first press releases contained an exaggeration regarding a coronavirus treatment that made it to President Trump's Republican National Convention speech, The New York Times reports.

Miller didn't have any scientific or medical experience when Trump appointed her, but rather worked for the far-right One America News and advocated for gun rights, Politico notes. But she was reportedly responsible for a Sunday press release announcing the FDA's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 treatment, packaging it as "another achievement in administration's fight against pandemic." Hahn admitted Tuesday he actually oversold the plasma treatment's effectiveness, but Trump still heralded it as a "powerful" treatment "that will save thousands and thousands of lives" at the RNC on Thursday.

The Department of Health and Human Services also ended its contract with public relations consultant Wayne Pines on Thursday. Pines told the Times he advised Dr. Hahn to "correct the record" regarding the misleading plasma claims. "If a federal official doesn't say something right, and chooses to clarify and say that the criticism is justified, that's refreshing," Pines said, and Hahn did so. Department officials claimed Pines' ouster had nothing to do with the plasma announcement, telling the Times it was already "reviewing and canceling similar contracts."

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Professor Principal

1 seeder JohnRussell 4 years ago

That makes 1,145 unqualified administration appointees.

Professor Principal

2 seeder JohnRussell 4 years ago

FDA statistics scandal update

The other day we reported on the director of the FDA who got embarrassed after garbling some statistics at a news conference. At the time, I wrote:

The commissioner of the FDA might well too busy to be carefully reading the individual studies. I assume the fault is with whatever assistant prepared the numbers for him.

Paul Alper shares this update:

Two senior public relations experts advising the Food and Drug Administration have been fired from their positions after President Trump and the head of the F.D.A. exaggerated the proven benefits of a blood plasma treatment for Covid-19. On Friday, the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, removed Emily Miller as the agency’s chief spokeswoman. The White House had installed her in the post just 11 days earlier. Ms. Miller had previously worked in communications for the re-election campaign of Senator Ted Cruz and as a journalist for the conservative cable network One America News.

Calling One America News “conservative” is an extreme understatement, or a misclassification, depending on how you think about it.

Also this:

Ms. Miller’s termination comes one day after the F.D.A.’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, terminated the contract of another public relations consultant, Wayne L. Pines, who had advised Dr. Hahn to apologize for misleading comments about the benefits of blood plasma for Covid-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services denied that Mr. Pines’s contract was terminated because of his involvement in the plasma messaging.
It was “100 percent coincidence,” said Brian Harrison, the department’s chief of staff. “H.H.S. has been reviewing and canceling similar contracts, so I had it sent to our lawyers, who recommended termination. This was routine.”

“Senior public relations experts” are fine, but at some point somebody’s gonna check the numbers. Otherwise the FDA’s as bad as Harvard.

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Miller’s ouster came shortly after HHS officials separately canceled the contract of consultant Wayne Pines, who had counseled Hahn on communications and had advised him to walk back inaccurate claims about convalescent plasma that he made in a press appearance with Trump on Sunday.

But Hahn’s late-night mea culpa on Monday angered health department officials. After discovering Pines had aided that decision, they began the process of severing his contract, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The removal of Pines was "not routine," said the person, but a specific action driven by frustration over his advice that Hahn apologize.

Professor Principal

3 seeder JohnRussell 4 years ago

Emily Miller, who is a cutie, appears to have been hired more for her appearance and her willingness to bamboozle on behalf of the Trump administration, than for her expertise in FDA and medical related issues.

It appears Wayne Pines paid the price with his job after advising FDA head Stephen Hahn to correct the earlier misinformation about the blood plasma treatment.

Professor Guide

4 Bob Nelson 4 years ago

I've read a couple articles about these firings. All are ambiguous about why these two were fired.

Were they fired because they had their "boss" say something stupid and dangerous... or...
were they fired because they had him retract a statement that pleased the White House?

The latter seems more credible.

Professor Principal

4.1 seeder JohnRussell replied to Bob Nelson @4 4 years ago

It seems to me that Pines was clearly a scapegoat. Miller may have been responsible at least in part for the false information about the plasma.

Professor Guide

4.1.1 Bob Nelson replied to JohnRussell @4.1 4 years ago

Diffusion was clearly meant to please The Prophet, who would not give a flying fuck about its accuracy. I find it hard to imagine Trump Residence (White House) staff firing anyone for licking The Prophet's boots, so I'm left with the idea that they were fired for convincing their talking-head-boss to retract...

Professor Participates

5 Paula Bartholomew 4 years ago

How can Trump tout something he can't even pronounce correctly? It is only two syllables for god's sake.

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