Thread by @kurteichenwald

1. The endless lies by the @GOP @POTUS @SenateGOP @HouseGOP creates a need to fix their deceptive timelines and tell the truth. Everyone thinks they *know* the timelines (few do). GOP is exploiting the ignorance to, as always, mislead & distract from Trump's abject failures...

2...in this lie, @GOP is misleading everyone as part of a strategy developed for them by a political consultant (yes, thats who they reach out to, not scientists) to turn this into a "China caused this! THEY did it. THEY hid it! We must attack them!"

So, let's discuss reality..

3...the first infection known, tracing back, occurred on December 1, 2019. However, that case was not seen for another 20 days, and everyone just thought it was pneumonia.

By 12/26/19: Dr. Zhang Jixian realized there were a small cluster of of people with a similar pneumonia...

4...that was, as time passed, showing itself to be more brutal than others. She *suspected* this was being caused by a new virus. (Remember date: 12/26, small cluster.)

12/27: Jiaxian's hospital notifies what is basically the CDC of Wuhan Jianghan, a group of urban districts...

5...

12/28: Wuhan Jianghan CDC begins researching these cases to figure out what is going on.

12/31: Wuhan Municipal Health Commission notifies the WHO. Yes, 5 days after the first suspicion there was a problem, WHO was notified. Also issues public notice of outbreak...

6...

Now, notice: First suspicions reported to a hospital on 12/26. First report to a health agency on 12/27. First research conducted to make sure it was not a standard virus: 12/28. I don't know how long that research took, but cases reported to WHO *three days later.*...

7...

NOW, here is where Trump & @GOP manipulate facts into a lie. They leave out that the situation had already been reported to the WHO. But they note that, on 1/1/20 - in response to the reporting to WHO - Wuhan police (not anyone in Beijing as far as we know) warn 8 doctors..

8...
to stop spreading rumors that the virus was similar to SARS.

1/3/20: Four days after the report to the WHO, Doctor Li Wenliang, who is a central guy in the reporting, is admonished by the Wuhan Police....

9...

1/20/20: Afte extensive research, Chinese epidemiologist Dr. Zhong Nanshan as well as a group of other experts conclude that the virus is spread human-to-human. YES, this must be proven.

1/21/20: Beijing government is provided the data of Nanshan....

10...
1/23/20: 2 days after reviewing the data, Beijing imposes quarantines allof Wuhan, prohibiting anyone from going in or going out. Soon, that is expanded to 15 cities.

1/26: 3 days later, Beijing changes national holidays to limit traveling that could spread the disease...

11...

...on the same day, schools and universities around the country were closed to limit spread.

1/30: WHO declares the disease to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. That is the first step until the data shows beyond dispute it is a pandemic.

Now, lets...

12...

...think about when the first action taken by Trump..

1/31: The day after WHO's declaration, and long after the mass quarantines in China, Trump imposes the block of Chinese traveled to US. This WAS the right thing to do, BUT the main reason to do it is so it buys time...

13....

...to allow government to adopt the disease management plan they were supposed to have prepared starting on 12/31, when WHO first revealed the report from China.

Trump does nothing else. He declares blocking the Chinese - again, a time-buyer - is all he needs to do...

14...

2/10: Six weeks after world knew of disease, Trump says it will be gone by the end of the spring while speaking with reporters in the White House.

2/14: Trump says it will be gone by April.

2/24: Trump tweets everything is under control, and people should buy stocks...

15...

Now, let's go back a little. Trump considered COVID-19 to be nothing for a long time. And, what people forget, he praised China for doing a great job.

On February 7, Trump tweets: (I cant use real tweet because my tweets hurt trumps feewings, so he blocked me)...

16...

Oh, and the tweets don't end there....

17...

...and, same day:

17...

So, when did the American government know about COVID-19? December 31, 2019. When was Trump first briefed about it? Mid-January, 2020. When was the first time did anything? Jan 31. When did he praise the Chinese response? February 7. ...

18...

When did he stop calling reports of USA spread a hoax, a lie, fake news, etc. *A week or so ago.*

China didn't report it for 3 days after they first tried to confirm it. (Dont know when that research confirmed.) Trump blew it off for TWO MONTHS after his first briefing..

19...

they had done NOTHING to prepare. We had no functional test kits, even though we could have accepted WHO kits or done SOMETHING rather than be caught with out pants down two months later....

20...

When did the GOP start this "let's blame China for the emergence of a virus never seen before, as if nature is about nationality." Last week - WHEN THE SCOPE OF THE DISEASE WAS UNDENIABLE and after a political consultant advised them on how to "spin" their failures...

21...so, no @POTUS @GOP @SenateGOP @HouseGOP - this is not because China kept it secret. And no country bears responsibility for an act of God. Who did screw up? YOU. Because you let this incompetent twiddle away bragging about himself while the country started burning....

22...I dont expect the GOP & Trump to stop lying. They repeat the same lie over and over until it is so drilled into people they no longer know what is real.

Which is why I tweeted this. Because the reality is, China managed this as well as anyone could. TRUMP screwed up.....

23...& through their spin, theyre cutting us off from Chinese data, knowledge and assistance (which all other countries are getting).

What are they getting? Putting more Americans at risk. But, they apparently think that a small price for having talking points for Fox News.
fin