By Mike Siegel | April 6, 2020

As a great President once said (to paraphrase) “There you go again.” It was Ronald Reagan who could use language in such an effective way that he would neutralize and make fools of those who would attack him.

After watching the Corona Virus Update on Sunday, it occurred to me that the CNN reporters are being paid a bonus based on the number of questions they can ask to undermine the President.

The CNN Reporter on Sunday, Jeremy Diamond, again asked for the umpteenth time about the advisability of using hydroxychloroquine for treatment of the Covid-19. How many more times will they ask the same question, which is frankly irrelevant?

Here is why:

• The drug has been used for decades to treat malaria with great success. This makes it a known drug and it is already approved for that purpose.
• The FDA has authorized physicians to use the drug with patients afflicted with the Corona Virus, if the physician agrees it may be helpful in removing the disease from further harming the patient. The patient, of course, would also have to agree.
• Patients with terminal illness now have a powerful opportunity through the bill the President signed last year, offering that final “Right to Try,” which allows them the right to use unapproved experimental drugs in a last effort to save their lives. How is that any different than using hydroxychloroquine for patients who are in critical condition and desperately want to try this drug to save them. Also, less severe cases can be potentially cured with this drug. The key point is that this is an approved drug and the experimental drugs are not. So how can we allow experimental drugs to be used and a proven drug used for more than 50 years prohibited?
• No one is suggested that this drug be fully approved right now. The suggestion is that physicians make that decision with their patients in individual cases.

But of course, the CNN Reporting crew at the White House has a single track of expectation at the press updates on the Corona Virus. Very simply it is to embarrass or undermine the President.

Ask yourself what the role of the press is at these briefings. The first priority needs to be delivering information to the public, not to undermining the President. That some group at CNN never asked hardball questions of Barack Obama, yet they constantly attempt to underline President Trump.

The attempted controversy fruitlessly being created regarding this drug is a non-starter. It is being used legally, it is under testing to determine its overall efficacy, it has worked in France and hundreds of physicians here have prescribed it for their patients afflicted with the Corona Virus, and there are no publicly reported cases of harm from the drug.

The real question is whether the drug has created harm and there are no reported cases at this time demonstrating that.

The other question people should be concerned about is huge numbers of medical supplies to fight the pandemic role of the media. Is it advocacy of a radical left ideology or is it to report the news? I leave you with the resolution of that question.

Finally, the polls show the President with a 60% favorable rating from the American people on his handling of the pandemic. He has taken a dysfunctional pandemic preparation system and created a model of organization for dealing with these crises and every governor is getting what they need from the Administration as the President has coordinated that response.

He should be thanked, not vilified by CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times.

• Israeli Pharmaceutical Company Teva Donates 6 Million Doses Of Chloroquine To US To Treat Chinese Coronavirus
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This piece originally appeared on Tsionizm.com and is used by permission.

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