Trump Toadie Michael Caputo Takes a Two-Month Leave of Absence (Video)

“There are hit squads being trained all over this country.”

“There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president.”

“If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s going to be hard to get.”

“When Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin. The drills that you’ve seen are nothing.”

These are statements Health and Human Services (HHS) Department official and former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo made Sunday during a Facebook live session at which he accused Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) scientists of “sedition” against the Donald Trump, and urged the president’s supporters to “buy ammunition” to prepare for post-election chaos.

According to the New York Times, Caputo also said of CDC scientists they “haven’t gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops…[to decide]…how they’re going to attack Donald Trump next.”

Claiming to have spoken emotionally after a man supposedly drove by his Buffalo, NY home and threatened him in his two daughters’ presence, Caputo said in a statement to NPR:

“Since joining the administration my family and I have been continually threatened and in and out of criminal court dealing with related harassment prosecutions.This weighs heavily on us and we deeply appreciate the friendship and support of President Trump as we address these matters and keep our children safe.”

This vitriol is bad enough.

Caputo also disseminated racist tweets about China giving America the coronavirus.

Don’t bother looking for them, though, because his account has been removed.

He has also accused Democrats of wanting the virus to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans in order to win the 2020 election

Yet Caputo has also reportedly been attempting to alter the CDC’s weekly coronavirus reports.

In response, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee chair, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), tweeted:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), added:

“Mr. Caputo has claimed that the president personally put him in charge of his $250 million advertising campaign intended to help America to get back to normal. We now know this is a propaganda campaign that must be de-funded immediately. It is not the mission of the Department of Health and Human Services to get the president reelected.”

On Tuesday, Caputo called an emergency HHS staff meeting to apologize and announce his temporary medical leave.

How temporary?

60 days.

He will still be collecting a salary.

He may be gone now–at least for two months.

But think of the other unqualified and inappropriate “officials” within our federal agencies.

Caputo is not an outlier.

If know someone who still thinks elections don’t matter, remind that person of the 281 lobbyists Trump has installed into agencies for the sole purpose of destroying them.

Then give that person an absentee ballot application.

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Ted Millar is writer and teacher. His work has been featured in myriad literary journals, including Better Than Starbucks, The Broke Bohemian, Straight Forward Poetry, Caesura, Circle Show, Cactus Heart, Third Wednesday, and The Voices Project. He is also a contributor to The Left Place blog on Substack, and Medium.