Mike Pence is reportedly blocking health officials from going on CNN to pressure the network to air Trump's full coronavirus briefings

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Vice President Mike Pence speaks in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March, 10, 2020, about the coronavirus outbreak.

• Vice President Mike Pence is blocking the country's top public health officials from appearing on CNN in an effort to pressure the network to air the White House coronavirus briefings in their entirety, CNN reported Thursday.
• CNN is one of several networks that often cut away from the briefings to fact-check the president's statements and don't always air the full events, which can last a few hours.
• "When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials then you can expect them back on your air," a spokesperson for Pence told CNN.
• Many critics have argued that the daily events often bear more resemblance to campaign rallies than informational briefings.
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Vice President Mike Pence has blocked the country's top public health officials from appearing on CNN over the last week in an effort to pressure the cable news network to air President Donald Trump's White House coronavirus briefings in their entirety, CNN reported Thursday.

CNN is one of several networks that often cut away from the briefings to fact-check the president's statements and don't always air the full events, which can last a few hours. Trump regularly makes false or misleading claims about the pandemic in the briefing room.

"When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials then you can expect them back on your air," a spokesperson for Pence told CNN.

CNN reported those officials include coronavirus task force members Drs. Deborah Birx, Anthony Fauci, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams. The president has also refused all of the network's requests for an interview during the health crisis.

On Tuesday, CNN didn't air the president's portion of the daily briefing, but tuned in for some of the health officials' remarks. The president's favorite network, Fox News, has aired the briefings in full.

Many critics have argued that the daily events often bear more resemblance to campaign rallies than informational briefings.

Trump has invited some top donors in the business world, who are helping produce essential medical supplies, to promote their companies and praise him. Last week, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell celebrated the president, saying, "God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on."

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