(CNN) Top White House trade adviser Peter Navarro openly attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci in an op-ed on Tuesday, after the White House repeatedly insisted there has been no effort to undermine the nation's leading infectious disease expert. The USA Today op-ed , which like all other opinion pieces from White House officials had to be edited and approved by the press office, marks a stunning shift in strategy after the President said he had a "very good" relationship with Fauci and White House officials insisted he would not be dismissed. "Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public, but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on," Navarro writes in the op-ed. "So when you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauci's advice, my answer is: only with skepticism and caution." Before the op-ed was published Tuesday evening, the White House appeared to be recalibrating its approach to Fauci, who sat for a lengthy meeting with chief of staff Mark Meadows on Monday, after White House officials questioned his record in a statement to reporters.

Source: CNN July 15, 2020 02:36 UTC