Jared Kushner’s requests for COVID-19 task force ‘have stolen valuable time from health experts’

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s ‘ill-conceived’ requests and questions for his COVID-19 task force have stolen valuable time from lead health experts during the pandemic.  

Kushner has emerged from behind-the-scenes to take a leading roll in President Trump’s controversial coronavirus task force, but sources said the former real estate developer may be causing more harm than good. 

The Washington Post reports that comments and requests made by Kushner sidetracked busy task force members who are scrambling to fix the country’s already delayed response. 

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (pictured) is reportedly distracting health officials on the coronavirus task force ,according to The Washington Post

This comes amid reports that Trump began fielding advice from people with ‘no credentials, experience or discernible insight in navigating a pandemic’ whilst working with proven public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s top infectious disease expert.  

Those people include Kushner, who ran a parallel COVID-19 team from the seventh floor of the Department of Health & Human Services and reportedly tossed around underdeveloped ideas at health experts who didn’t have time to deal with it. 

One plan involved Google creating a national website to direct people with symptoms to testing sights in Walmart parking lots across America. 

Sources told WaPo that Dr. Fauci is ‘trying to roll out the most ambitious clinical trial ever implemented [to hasten the development of a vaccine], And yet, the nation’s top health officials are getting calls from the White House or Jared’s team asking, “Wouldn’t it be nice to do this with Oracle?”‘

Another focused on an initiative championed by Oracle chairman Larry Ellison to use software to monitor the use of unproven anti-malaria drugs against coronavirus. Neither of these plans have materialized. 

But sources told The Post that Kushner’s brainstorms have repeatedly interrupted health experts under ‘immense pressure’ who don’t believe they can ignore the first family. 

‘Right now Fauci is trying to roll out the most ambitious clinical trial ever implemented [to hasten the development of a vaccine] said a former senior administration official in frequent touch with former colleagues to The Post. 

‘And yet, the nation’s top health officials are getting calls from the White House or Jared’s team asking, “Wouldn’t it be nice to do this with Oracle?”‘

On Thursday, Kushner spoke for the first time at Trump’s daily briefings about fighting COVID-19.   

During a White coronavirus briefing, Kushner (pictured) was revealed to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency to oversee medical supplies distribution 

Vice President Mike Pence announced that Kushner would be heading the Federal Emergency Management Agency to spearhead the distribution of desperately needed medical supplies.  

Kushner, who has previous government or medical experience, took the chance to blast state governors and senators management abilities. 

‘You have to take inventory in your state, and you have to be able to prove that there’s a real need,’ said in a lecture to state officials. 

‘This is a time of crisis, and you’re seeing certain people are better managers than others.’

He’s also taken a swipe at New York over ventilators after Gov. Andrew Cuomo requests 30,000 ahead of the state’s coronavirus apex. 

‘I have all this data about I.C.U. capacity. I’m doing my own projections, and I’ve gotten a lot smarter about this. New York doesn’t need all the ventilators. 

‘People who have requests for different products and supplies, a lot of them are doing it based on projections which are not the realistic projections,’ he added.

This echoes Trump’s accusation that Cuomo is ‘exaggerating’ New York’s medical needs, despite Dr. Fauci said he trusts the Cuomo’s estimate. 

New York has since arranged to obtain 1,000 ventilators from China. 

On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City pleaded for at least 1,500 after revealing the city will run out by Wednesday. 

De Blasio said: ‘We have bought a few more days here. We believe now we can get to Tuesday or Wednesday with the supplies we have.

‘I want to be clear, it only means a few more days, nothing more I can guarantee beyond that.’

Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured) pleaded for more ventilators over reports that New York City will run out by Wednesday 

As of Sunday, New York state recorded 122,031 confirmed cases and 4,159 deaths. The Big Apple had a staggering 64,955 infections and a death toll of 2,472. 

Like his father-in-law, Kushner has received criticism over his response and role on the coronavirus task force. 

Some have pointed to nepotism that’s become commonplace among the Trump administration, while others have questioned his ability to lead with no medical background. 

Kushner was blasted by fellow officials and on social media after suggesting federal stockpiles cannot be used by states. 

‘The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile, it’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use,’ Kushner said, directing contradicting what the Strategic National Stockpile’s website said the stockpile was intended for. 

Rep. Maxine Waters lashed out at White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Twitter

An outraged Rep. Maxine Waters hit back at Kushner’s comments on Twitter. 

She wrote: ‘What the hell, Jared Kushner! What do you mean out stockpile vs state stockpile of health equipment? This is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!’

‘This is a CRISIS! U & your inept father in law bungled the response. You better get the PPE, respirators, ventilators to stars NOW!’ 

As of Sunday, the United States has 312,601 confirmed cases and 9,144 deaths. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk