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US Health Official to Take Leave of Absence After Accusing Government
Scientists of 'Sedition'

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - A top U.S. spokesman on the coronavirus is taking a leave
   of absence after accusing government scientists of "sedition" and
   alleging their handling of the pandemic was meant to undermine
   President Donald Trump.
   In a statement Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services
   (HHS) said Michael Caputo, the agency's assistant secretary of public
   affairs. will be on leave for the next 60 days "to focus on his health
   and the well-being of his family."
   Caputo contended without evidence Sunday that a "resistance unit" of
   medical personnel "deep in the bowels" of the government's Centers for
   Disease Control and Prevention is working to defeat Trump, even if it
   means the U.S.'s world-leading coronavirus death toll of more than
   196,000 continues to rise.
   He accused the scientists of abandoning science to become "political
   animals."
   On Tuesday, he apologized to co-workers.
   Caputo has drawn intense criticism in Washington for attempting to
   alter the CDC's weekly reports on U.S. coronavirus infections and
   deaths to adhere to Trump's repeated assertions that the pandemic is
   under control and that a vaccine will soon be available, possibly
   before the election on Nov. 3, when Trump faces former Democratic Vice
   President Joe Biden for a four-year term in the White House.
   Caputo voiced a string of bizarre and unsupported accusations on
   Facebook Live and in subsequent newspaper interviews, saying his
   physical health has declined and his "mental health has definitely
   failed."
   Caputo, 58, expressed fears for his personal safety at the hands of
   Trump foes, telling his supporters, "If you carry guns, buy ammunition,
   ladies and gentlemen, because it's going to be hard to get."

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