Michael Caputo, the top spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, will be taking a leave of absence from his post after his social media diatribe against government scientists.
HHS released a statement on Wednesday stating that Caputo will be taking a pause from work for 60 days in order to “focus on his health and the well-being of his family.” This means that Caputo will not be back in his position until after the November election.
Caputo, a veteran Trump campaign official who took the HHS position earlier this year, faced backlash this week after he accused government scientists of “sedition” in a Facebook Live stream. He said in the video that there was a “resistance unit” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a branch of HHS, that was attempting to undermine the president and that they were becoming “political animals.”
Caputo has also expressed concern about his own well-being, stating that his “mental health has definitely failed.” He stated in the video, “I don’t like being alone in Washington,” saying that “shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long.”
Sources told different media outlets on Tuesday that Caputo apologized for the outburst in a meeting with staff and might be taking medical leave soon.
HHS also said on Wednesday that Paul Alexander, a senior policy adviser to the assistant secretary for public affairs, who was hired on a temporary basis, will be leaving the department. Ryan Murphy, principal deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, will be taking on Caputo’s role in his absence, the statement added.
