Without Evidence, Trump Suggests New York Hospital Staffers Are Stealing Coronavirus Medical Supplies

President Donald Trump has suggested that staff members from an unnamed New York hospital are stealing medical supplies need in the fight against COVID-19. He made unfounded claim in a coronavirus task force briefing at the Rose Garden last week.

Trump claimed that medical supplies “were going out the backdoor” and that some hospitals were “hoarding.” He then said that an unidentified “specialist” told him “[that] at a New York hospital, for a long period of time, he was giving 10,000, maybe maximum 20,000 masks over a short time. And all of a sudden, he’s giving 300,000.”

Trump replied, “And I said, ‘No matter how bad this is, could that be possible?'”

The distribution specialists said, “No.”

Trump continued, “So there’s only a couple of things that could happen. Is it going out the back door? And I’ve reported it to the city and let the city take a look at it… But when you go from 10,000 masks to 300,000 masks… over the same period of time, there’s something going on.”

The shortage is so severe that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published designs for the cleansing of supplies and recommended product substitutes.

CORONAVIRUS FAQ: WIKI OF MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

A reporter inquired whether Trump, “Are you asking your DOJ to look into it, sir?”

“Please,” Trump replied.