SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and others look on after a meeting about COVID-19 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 10, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
'Trying to Cover His Tracks'? Trump Reportedly Ordered Coronavirus Talks Classified
"Classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings. This is a disaster."
Mar 11, 2020
President Donald Trump's White House reportedly instructed federal health officials to treat high-level meetings and discussions on the coronavirus as classified, a move critics said is clearly aimed at concealing potentially crucial information about the pandemic from the public.
Reuters reported Wednesday that "dozens of classified discussions about such topics as the scope of infections, quarantines, and travel restrictions have been held since mid-January in a high-security meeting room at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)."
"A clear effort to hide information from the public. We will keep investigating and demanding answers."
--American Oversight
"Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings, which included video conference calls," Reuters noted.
One anonymous official told Reuters that the decision was "unnecessary" and may have hampered the administration's ability to respond to the outbreak as it has spread across the United States over the past two months. The novel coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19, has infected people in at least 34 states and killed more than 30 in the U.S.
"We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go," the official said. "These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary."
Another anonymous source told Reuters that, because of the classification order, "HHS staffers often weren't informed about coronavirus developments because they didn't have adequate clearance. [The source] said he was told that the matters were classified 'because it had to do with China.'"
\u201cThe White House has reportedly instructed federal agencies to *classify* coronavirus deliberations and meetings \u2014\u00a0a clear effort to hide information from the public. \n\nWe will keep investigating and demanding answers.\n \nhttps://t.co/f9EJUnvei2\u201d— American Oversight (@American Oversight) 1583945582
Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist who has been publicly critical of Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak, tweeted Wednesday that Trump's order to classify coronavirus meetings shows the president is "trying to cover his tracks" as he continues to face backlash over his handling of the outbreak.
"Yes, Donald Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic," said Gonsalves. "But classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings."
"This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic," Gonsalves added.
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump's White House reportedly instructed federal health officials to treat high-level meetings and discussions on the coronavirus as classified, a move critics said is clearly aimed at concealing potentially crucial information about the pandemic from the public.
Reuters reported Wednesday that "dozens of classified discussions about such topics as the scope of infections, quarantines, and travel restrictions have been held since mid-January in a high-security meeting room at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)."
"A clear effort to hide information from the public. We will keep investigating and demanding answers."
--American Oversight
"Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings, which included video conference calls," Reuters noted.
One anonymous official told Reuters that the decision was "unnecessary" and may have hampered the administration's ability to respond to the outbreak as it has spread across the United States over the past two months. The novel coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19, has infected people in at least 34 states and killed more than 30 in the U.S.
"We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go," the official said. "These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary."
Another anonymous source told Reuters that, because of the classification order, "HHS staffers often weren't informed about coronavirus developments because they didn't have adequate clearance. [The source] said he was told that the matters were classified 'because it had to do with China.'"
\u201cThe White House has reportedly instructed federal agencies to *classify* coronavirus deliberations and meetings \u2014\u00a0a clear effort to hide information from the public. \n\nWe will keep investigating and demanding answers.\n \nhttps://t.co/f9EJUnvei2\u201d— American Oversight (@American Oversight) 1583945582
Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist who has been publicly critical of Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak, tweeted Wednesday that Trump's order to classify coronavirus meetings shows the president is "trying to cover his tracks" as he continues to face backlash over his handling of the outbreak.
"Yes, Donald Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic," said Gonsalves. "But classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings."
"This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic," Gonsalves added.
President Donald Trump's White House reportedly instructed federal health officials to treat high-level meetings and discussions on the coronavirus as classified, a move critics said is clearly aimed at concealing potentially crucial information about the pandemic from the public.
Reuters reported Wednesday that "dozens of classified discussions about such topics as the scope of infections, quarantines, and travel restrictions have been held since mid-January in a high-security meeting room at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)."
"A clear effort to hide information from the public. We will keep investigating and demanding answers."
--American Oversight
"Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings, which included video conference calls," Reuters noted.
One anonymous official told Reuters that the decision was "unnecessary" and may have hampered the administration's ability to respond to the outbreak as it has spread across the United States over the past two months. The novel coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19, has infected people in at least 34 states and killed more than 30 in the U.S.
"We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go," the official said. "These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary."
Another anonymous source told Reuters that, because of the classification order, "HHS staffers often weren't informed about coronavirus developments because they didn't have adequate clearance. [The source] said he was told that the matters were classified 'because it had to do with China.'"
\u201cThe White House has reportedly instructed federal agencies to *classify* coronavirus deliberations and meetings \u2014\u00a0a clear effort to hide information from the public. \n\nWe will keep investigating and demanding answers.\n \nhttps://t.co/f9EJUnvei2\u201d— American Oversight (@American Oversight) 1583945582
Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist who has been publicly critical of Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak, tweeted Wednesday that Trump's order to classify coronavirus meetings shows the president is "trying to cover his tracks" as he continues to face backlash over his handling of the outbreak.
"Yes, Donald Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic," said Gonsalves. "But classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings."
"This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic," Gonsalves added.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.