Bill Barr
WILMINGTON, DE - AUGUST 20: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden delivers a speech as he accepts his party’s presidential nomination at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., on the final day of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The former vice president’s highly anticipated remarks cap a very unconventional four-day virtual convention with the biggest speech of his lengthy political career. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) WILMINGTON, DE - AUGUST 20: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden delivers a speech as he accepts his party’s presidential nomination at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., on the final day of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The former vice president’s highly anticipated remarks cap a very unconventional four-day virtual convention with the biggest speech of his lengthy political career. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)
Bill Barr Isn’t On The Trump Campaign’s Payroll, But He’s Sure Acting Like It Prime Badge
This Week in the Swamp: A weekly dive into the muck of the Trump administration.
09.17.20 | 6:00 pm
SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 16: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks at a news conference about the coronavirus outbreak Monday, March 16, 2020, in Seattle. Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreation facilities to temporarily close to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the state with by far the most deaths in the U.S. from the disease. (Photo by Elaine Thompson, Pool/Getty Images) SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 16: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks at a news conference about the coronavirus outbreak Monday, March 16, 2020, in Seattle. Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreation facilities to temporarily close to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the state with by far the most deaths in the U.S. from the disease. (Photo by Elaine Thompson, Pool/Getty Images)
Former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee during a closed-door session at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center July 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. Caputo resigned from being a Trump campaign communications advisor after appearing to celebrate the firing of former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Denying any contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign, Caputo did live in Moscow during the 1990s, served as an adviser to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and did pro-Putin public relations work for the Russian conglomerate Gazprom Media. Former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee during a closed-door session at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center July 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. Caputo resigned from being a Trump campaign communications advisor after appearing to celebrate the firing of former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Denying any contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign, Caputo did live in Moscow during the 1990s, served as an adviser to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and did pro-Putin public relations work for the Russian conglomerate Gazprom Media.
Where Things Stand: Both Barr And Caputo Hype Sedition, But Only One Is Leaving Prime Badge
This is your TPM afternoon briefing.
09.16.20 | 2:04 pm

Michael Caputo, the longtime Trump hype man and HHS official, is taking a leave of absence from the Department of Health and Human Services.

This follows a tumultuous few days in which reports surfaced showing Caputo and one of his close aides at HHS were involved in a scheme to pressure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into cooking the books on COVID-19 reporting data to more closely adhere to President Trump’s rosy rhetoric on the pandemic.

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