Pelosi Doubles Down: 'I Don't Have Confidence' in Dr. Birx

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Monday doubled down on her criticism of White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, insisting she does not have confidence in her because of her actions in connection with President Donald Trump. 

“I don’t have confidence in anyone who stands there while the president says swallow Lysol and it’s going to cure your virus,” the California Democrat said on CNN, while referring to the president's speculation earlier this summer about possibly using disinfectants to treat people suffering from COVID-19. 

Pelosi added she'd criticized Birx during a "conversation" about the spread of coronavirus when "they" disagreed with the use of tracing as an effective tool. 

Pelosi's current slams on Birx appear to stem from a closed meeting in the speaker's office between herself, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, reports Politico.

During the meeting, Pelosi reportedly referred to Birx as "the worst" and accused her of spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

"But it's not about her," Pelosi told CNN Monday. "It's about the American people and how we have a real strategic plan. This administration has not had a strategic plan for the six months that we know about the coronavirus. We should have a plan for testing, tracing, treating, separation, masks, and the rest...if the president is saying these things, who is advising him that this is okay and enabling that to happen while millions of people have died?"

Pelosi noted that the House passed its latest coronavirus bill "almost 11 weeks ago, and since that time 3 million people have been added to the infection list. Nearly 70,000 people have died, and they still don't have a strategic plan on stopping the virus. That's why I said I would like to have somebody else come in from the scientific point of view."

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