California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged Monday that he asked President Donald Trump for help in obtaining medical swabs to assist his state’s novel coronavirus effort, and that he thanked him for the assist.
But he emphatically denied a New York Times report that the expression of gratitude was a precondition for obtaining the equipment.
“It’s not true,” Newsom said during a news conference Monday. “To the extent we were able to procure those swabs, we were grateful and I expressed gratitude, but no one told me to express it.”
The Times quoted Bob Kocher, an Obama-era White House health care official now serving as an adviser to Newsom, as saying that he had discussed in April obtaining 350,000 testing swabs with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser to the president.
“The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, had to call Donald Trump, and ask him for the swabs,” The Times quoted Kocher as saying.
He also had to thank him, went that version of events.
"Not true," Newsom said Monday. "No one told me that. No one asked me that."
The Times referred to an April 22 press conference, a day after the equipment arrived, in which Newsom praised Trump for the help, thanking him for the “substantial increase in supply” and saying “promise made, promise kept.”
Newsom said the quid pro quo "never came to me." He did say "there may have been a conversation" between Trump officials and his staff.
“Anybody that is willing to help this state, I’m going to express deep gratitude for that help,” he said.
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