The president and his cronies continue to downplay the coronavirus, using fake conspiracy theories to discredit respected federal scientific reports.

In a disturbing new report from Politico, politically appointed cronies of the president have been interfering and making changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly scientific reports in order to better align with Trump’s publicly stated messages regarding the coronavirus.

Politico’s Friday exclusive cites administration communications aides, including former Trump campaign officer and now assistant secretary for public affairs of the Department of Health and Human Services Michael Caputo — who has no medical or scientific qualifications — sending emails successfully pressuring CDC officials “to change the language” in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR).

These reports, which the CDC has created for decades, are distributed to doctors and health officials on the front lines and are intended to deliver the government’s most up-to-date information on the virus and how it spreads.

In emails to CDC Director Robert Redfield, Politico reported, politically appointed communications officials “openly complained that the agency’s reports would undermine President Donald Trump’s optimistic messages about the outbreak.” And, although other CDC officials have pushed back and refused to make some of the suggested significant changes to the historically non-political and important scientific MMWR weekly reports, the pressure did result in an almost month-long delay of one report that advised against doctors prescribing the Trump-endorsed drug hydroxychloroquine.

Paul Alexander, chided CDC scientists, calling their reports “hit pieces” and accused the agency of purposely exaggerating the virus’ effect on children in order to “hurt the President” while Trump pushed for schools to reopen