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Oct 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy

ABC host says White House blocked Fauci from appearing on show

Fadel Allassan

The White House refused to allow Anthony Fauci or any of the medical experts on the coronavirus task force to appear on ABC's "This Week," host Jon Karl said Sunday.

Why it matters: President Trump has previously faced criticism for silencing Fauci, and White House officials have refused to answer basic questions about President Trump's COVID test results, as it scrambles to respond to an outbreak within its own ranks.

  • Fauci acknowledged in an interview with CBS Radio on Friday that there was "a superspreader event at the White House," referring to the Rose Garden ceremony to introduce Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
  • Multiple people, including two senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee, tested positive for COVID-19 after the event, which featured little social distancing and few masks.

The big picture: The president is facing a credibility gap on the coronavirus issue. An ABC News/Washington Post poll out Sunday indicates 62% of Americans distrust what Trump says about the coronavirus, and 60% said they don't trust the administration to provide accurate information about Trump's health.

What they're saying: "We had hoped to talk to Dr. Fauci about both the outbreak at the White House and across the country," Karl said at the start of the show.

  • "He was more than willing to join us, but the White House wouldn't allow you to hear from the nation's leading expert on coronavirus."
  • "In fact, they wouldn't allow any of the medical experts on the president's own coronavirus task force to appear on this show."
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