The head of a U.S. House Oversight Committee panel on COVID-19 on Monday issued subpoenas to two top Trump administration health officials over accusations of political interference amid the nation's pandemic response.
U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield were ordered to produce related documents by Dec. 30, the head of the coronavirus subcommittee, U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn said in a statement.
Clyburn said documents obtained as part of the panel's investigation so far showed administration appointees had tried to block or alter more than one dozen scientific reports related to the novel coronavirus as the outbreak continued to grow nationwide.
"The subpoenas were necessary because the Select Subcommittee’s investigation has revealed that efforts to interfere with scientific work at CDC were far more extensive and dangerous than previously known," Clyburn wrote.
Representatives for the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC could not be immediately reached for comment.
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