Earlier today Dr. Nancy Messonnier, an official in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), held a conference call with media and pushed a panic narrative around the Coronvirus that ran counter to the Trump administration. What makes the statements by Dr. Messonnier even more interesting is the fact she is the only sister of former DOJ Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

H/T: The Last Refuge

For an exercise in contrasts, watch the full HHS press briefing below. Notice the difference in tone? Measured and calm here. Everything is under control.

Even with no judgment of which tone is correct within the current threat environment, it's interesting that the media virtually ignored this briefing and decided to zero in on the scarier tone emanating from Rosenstein's sister instead.

Check out the example from the worrisome New York Times article below. Quotes from Dr. Messonnier's conference call provide the main backbone of the article, even though the tone of those quotes runs counter to the message coming from the rest of the Trump administration. Hmmm.

Watching an eager media put the words of a rogue CDC official through their megaphones on full-blast while ignoring more reasonable Trump administration voices doesn't exactly inspire confidence that politics aren't involved here.

A crisis that doesn't exist can't be Trump's fault.

The @CDCgov suggest we begin to prepare for #COVID-19 to hit the US. It's not a question of if, but of when. The @nytimes offers some considerations. https://t.co/9AhK8N3zbR — The Hastings Center (@hastingscenter) February 26, 2020

Read more details below from an unroll of a related twitter thread also from The Last Refuge.