The rehab tours are only beginning. Dr. Deborah Birx, late of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, now says she often thought about quitting, which begs the question, why didn’t you. Birx became known as a Trump apologist and spreader of misinformation during her tenure. Here’s a quote from her last March on Donald Trump:
“He’s been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data, and I think his ability to analyze and integrate, that comes out of his long history in business, has really been a real benefit during these discussions about medical issues.”
There were reports that Birx wanted to continue with the new administration, instead, she has retired.
This was just raised in the briefing, but Dr. Birx has retired and is no longer on the task force. “Deborah L. Birx, M.D.'s term ended on January 20, 2021,” the State Department website now says.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 22, 2021
CBS’s Margaret Brennan interviewed Birx for “Face the Nation.” The outlet writes:
Birx explained to Brennan that it was clear at that point how the 2020 election was a factor in the task force’s reduced communication about the deadly virus. She said she was “censored” by the White House, blocked for a time from doing national media, but insisted she never intentionally withheld information from the public herself.
Birx said:
“I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day? Colleagues of mine that I had known for decades… decades in that one experience, because I was in the White House, decided that I had become this political person, even though they had known me forever. I had to ask myself every morning, is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic and it’s something I asked myself every night.”
This follows comments by Dr. Anthony Fauci earlier this week where he said it feels “liberating” since the administration changed on Wednesday, and that under Trump “you didn’t feel that you could actually say something and there wouldn’t be any repercussions about it.”
Watch more of what Dr. Birx told CBS above including how colleagues she had known for decades soured on her over the last year.
Dr. Birx is in a long line of men and women who entered Trump’s orbit with solid or at least reasonable reputations, only to emerge on a scale that ranges from sullied to disgraced. There is no upside to working for Trump. Hasn’t that long been self-evident? https://t.co/86XS3YejbL
— Clyde Haberman (@ClydeHaberman) January 23, 2021