Trump adviser Navarro busted for ‘admission of guilt’ in his Obama comments by ex-Medicare chief

A former Obama health official pushed back on White House trade adviser Peter Navarro's attacks, saying they were an "admission of guilt."

Navarro blamed former President Barack Obama for the Trump administration's slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, and Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told CNN that blame could be cast widely.

"I think what Navarro said isn't incorrect," Slavitt said. "You can find fault anywhere. Anywhere you look, nobody has clean hands, including the White House and the long period of time that Trump spent essentially saying this was to be no effect and we shouldn't be taking action on it."

Navarro issued dire warnings about the virus back in January and February, but the White House did not take any substantial action until mid-March.

"While the [Centers for Disease Control] has clearly made mistakes, there are people well-designed to help us through this process and get through the cycle," Slavitt said. "What Peter Navarro is saying an admission of guilt. They didn't direct the agencies. The White House directs all of these agencies. Why are they just admitting it now? They've been saying for quite some time. President Trump has saying testing is not a problem, anybody who wants one can get one. I'm curious whether or not there's an admission that they had a role to play in this. I suspect they're not going to say this."