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In a letter to CDC Director Robert R. Redfield and his superior, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) expressed “serious concern about what may be deliberate efforts by the Trump Administration to conceal and destroy evidence that senior political appointees interfered with career officials’ response to the coronavirus crisis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (Bernstein and Sun, 12/10)

According to the letter, Dr. Charlotte Kent, chief of the scientific publications branch and editor-in-chief of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report at CDC, told subcommittee staff earlier this week that she was told to delete an email sent on August 8 by Health and Human Services senior adviser Dr. Paul Alexander. The letter states that the panel was not given the email by the department despite its request, but notes that an excerpt was published in the media. It includes an excerpt in which Alexander is critical of the CDC, saying, according to the letter, "CDC tried to report as if once kids get together, there will be spread and this will impact school reopening .... Very misleading by CDC and shame on them. Their aim is clear ... This is designed to hurt this Presidnet [sic]." (Foran and Fox, 12/10)

"I was instructed to delete the email," MMWR editor Charlotte Kent told investigators. Kent, who was on vacation when Alexander sent the email, said that she was informed of the request by a colleague who filled in for her, and that she understood the request to be from Redfield. Kent said that she never saw the email herself. "I went to look for it after I had been told to delete it, and it was already gone," she told investigators on Monday. (Diamond, 12/10)

"I would never tell somebody to delete an email," CDC Director Robert Redfield said Thursday when asked about the report at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. "I instructed CDC to ignore Dr. Alexander's comments and they didn't need to reply to his email." (Sullivan, 12/10)