“Don’t let anyone tell you that the Trump administration is wholly incompetent. They are really good at undermining independent oversight and democratic norms.”
By Andrea Germanos, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 5-2-2020
President Donald Trump’s attacks on oversight continued late Friday as he announced his intention to replace the official serving as the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General.
According to the White House announcement, Trump wants to have Jason Weida, who’s currently serving as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston, take on the role currently filled by acting HHS Inspector General Christi A. Grimm. Her office’s report (pdf) last month—which reflected hundreds of hospitals’ reports of “widespread shortages” of personal protective equipment and “severe shortages of testing supplies” contributing to difficulties in responding to the coronavirus pandemic—left Trump fuming. Continue reading