Thread by @emsteck

NEW from me & @KFILE:

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro publicly said Americans had "nothing to worry about" as he privately warned the White House about a "full-blown" pandemic in two memos.

cnn.com/2020/04/10/pol…

On Jan 29 on CNBC, Navarro was asked about the potential impact of the coronavirus. He said "this is not my lane per se" and deferred to the newly created coronavirus task force members.

His first memo warning of a "full-blown" pandemic was dated Jan 29.

Navarro wrote a second private memo dated Feb 23 urging immediate funding to “minimize economic and social disruption.”

The next day he spoke at a press gaggle and said the Coronavirus was “nothing to worry about for the American people” under President Trump’s leadership.

In a statement to CNN, Navarro said, "'Nothing to worry about' indicates the American people should be confident in the strong leadership of President Trump handling the crisis, NOT the seriousness of the crisis itself. To suggest otherwise is simply mischief and fake news."

During his TV and radio appearances, Navarro also was asked about the economy. He said it was not "particularly vulnerable to what happens in China" with the virus and "not likely to materially harm this economy."

Navarro previously warned about pandemics in his 2006 book.

After a Fox News host asked--without a factual basis--whether China created the virus as a potential biological weapon, Navarro said that China "will have to be held accountable for how this started."

Scientists remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but there is no evidence that it was manufactured by China or any other government.

Navarro explained his answer to CNN.