Dem Coalition files complaint against Trump for slowing COVID-19 testing
3 min readJun 24, 2020
The complaint is directed towards the president, the CDC and HHS regarding steps taken by Trump to intentionally prevent, slow, delay, hamper and obstruct testing that have increased the death toll.
COMPLAINT1. This complaint concerns steps taken by Donald Trump (“Trump”) to intentionally prevent, slow, delay, hamper and obstruct testing for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States during the present pandemic that have increased the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.
2. Coronavirus testing delays have caused the United States to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths of any country in the world. Presently over 2.36 million Americans have been infected and over 122,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. Intentionally delaying testing during this pandemic is mass murder, a criminal conspiracy against the United States, violates the RICO Act and violates other state and federal laws.
3. The complaint concerns the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) because The Centers For Disease Control (“CDC”), an agency within the HHS, is responsible for coordinating coronavirus testing in the United States. Trump’s statements suggest that individuals at CDC may be involved in assisting Trump to slow coronavirus testing, commit mass murder, conspiracy, wire fraud and
other crimes.
4. On August 20, 2020 at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Trump stated, in reference to testing for coronavirus:"We've tested now 25 million people. It's probably 20 million people more than anybody else. Germany's done a lot, South Korea's done a lot. They call me, they say the job you're doing - here's the bad part, when you test of – when you do testing to that extent, you're going to find more people, you're going to find more cases. So, I said to my people slow the testing down, please. They test and they test." [emphasis supplied].5. When later asked about this statement, a White House spokesperson suggested Trump was joking.
6. On June 23, 2020, Trump disputed the claim that he was joking. "I don't kid," Mr Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Arizona, again calling COVID-19 testing a "double-edged sword."
7. Trump’s tweet on June 23, 2020 suggests he prefers less testing:
8. Because of Trump’s public statements, it is necessary for the Inspector General to investigate and determine whether Trump has directed or influenced any officials within CDC or HHS to intentionally prevent, slow, delay, hamper and obstruct testing for
SARS-CoV-2.
9. If the Inspector General obtains information that any persons working for CDC or HHS have aided, abetted, assisted or conspired with Trump or any other individuals to prevent, slow, delay, hamper and obstruct testing for SARS-CoV-2, the Inspector General should immediately issue a report exposing this to Congress and the American people. The Inspector General should also refer the matter to the United States Department of Justice so that the responsible individuals can be prosecuted for murder and for other crimes against the American people.
10. Intentionally preventing, slowing, delaying, hampering and obstructing testing for SARS-CoV-2 also violates statutes, rules, regulations, guidelines and laws governing HHS and CDC.WHEREFORE, the complainants respectfully request the Office of the Inspector General to fully investigate the violations alleged in this Complaint and to institute appropriate civil and criminal proceedings.DATED: June 23, 2020
See the official complaint as it was submitted here and embedded below.
