Who is Helping Hahn with Communication Efforts?
[Report by Jim Dickinson and David McFarland] FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn’s controversial remarks exaggerating the efficacy of convalescent plasma for Covid-19 at an 8/23 White House press conference has touched off a wider examination of those advising (or directing?) him with his communications efforts. The 8/23 press release associated with the announcement of convalescent plasma’s emergency use authorization (EUA) contains a conspicuous and unprecedented statement in its headline: FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Convalescent Plasma as Potential Promising COVID–19 Treatment, Another Achievement in Administration’s Fight Against Pandemic. Claiming the EUA was “Another Achievement in Administration’s Fight Against Pandemic” is a political statement and another example of the Trump Administration’s naked effort to further control the agency, which was first politicized when the George W. Bush Administration made the careerist FDA associate commissioner for public affairs post a political appointee. The temptation to “spin” FDA achievements to reflect credit on the White House became too much to resist thereafter.
The 8/23 press release’s issuance also coincided with newest political media head Emily Miller’s first day on the job. Online news site Salon.com describes Miller as a “gun-rights advocate and former senior correspondent for the right-wing One America News Network (OANN).” Miller left OANN four years ago, but Salon.com notes that while there “she was accused of fabricating quotes from Hillary Clinton and peddling conspiracy theories alleging that the Obama administration used ‘smart gun’ technology, which permits only authorized users to access a firearm, as a way to ‘track law-abiding citizens.’” Salon.com reviewed Miller’s tweets about the coronavirus pandemic over the last few months and concluded that as chief spokesperson for FDA, “her understanding of basic underlying science and health issues appears limited.”
Miller’s online FDA bio says that she “leads the media relations team to share agency news quickly and accurately.” It says she has extensive experience in strategic communications in the federal government. “She was the deputy press secretary at the U.S. Department of State during president George W. Bush’s administration,” it says. “On Capitol Hill, Miller was the communications director to the House majority whip Tom DeLay. She developed strategic communications plans to support the Republican majority leadership's legislative goals and served as senior spokesman.”