Trump HHS Official Michael Caputo Apologizes in Emergency Meeting, Staffers Left With Impression He Will Resign: Report

Heath and Human Services Spokesman Michael Caputo reportedly called an emergency staff meeting to apologize amid the controversy over inflamed political remarks he made about the Centers for Disease Control in a recent Facebook Live chat. Politico reports that staffers left the meeting with a clear sense that his resignation could be imminent.

Politico reports that staffers in attendance revealed that Caputo admitted that his recent remarks that the CDC was acting as a “resistant unit” doing political harm to President Donald Trump did not serve the HHS communications office well. “He also blamed his recent behavior on a combination of physical health issues and the toll of fielding death threats against his family,” according to the report.

Regarding his future in the office, Politico reports:

The session left some staffers with the impression that Caputo would soon step aside as the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs, the three people with knowledge of the meeting said, though they cautioned that his fate remained in flux. During the meeting, Caputo made allusions to the fact that HHS had functioned for a long time in the past without a permanent top communications official.

Depending on who you listened to, Caputo either played a central figure in the Trump Campaign or was a hanger-on. Either way, he appeared to be rewarded for his less-than-willing cooperation with the Mueller Investigation with a job as spokesperson at HHS.  Politico added that later on Tuesday, Caputo is scheduled to meet with HHS Secretary Alex Azar, according to people who attended the meeting.