White House Says We Shouldn't Be 'Pointing Fingers' On Ebola
"What's evident I think of this president's leadership style is that he's focused on solving problems - that pointing fingers of blame will not be constructive here," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said during a media briefing. "That's why the president's focused on results and that's why the president's convening the meeting today with his team that's responsible for responding to the situation."
Earnest made his comment in response to a question about why the Obama administration didn't overtly criticize CDC leadership after two healthcare workers contracted Ebola while treating a diagnosed patient. The press secretary repeatedly stressed, however, that Obama was troubled by healthcare workers contracting the virus. Earnest also said there was an ongoing investigation to figure out how that happened twice in Dallas, Texas.
"But if you consider the wide range of the government's response, there's plenty of reason for people to feel confident about what we're doing. But there's a reason that the president and people all across the country are concerned about this deadly disease," he added. "We're going to make sure that we're mobilizing the kind of response that is up to the expectations not just of the president but the people he serves."
Though Earnest said the White House is not interested in pointing fingers, other officials on both sides of the aisle have been much more willing to make Ebola a political issue.
Three potential Republican presidential contenders reportedly accused Obama "of leaving Americans vulnerable to the Ebola epidemic" and House Democrats' campaign arm has run ads accusing Republicans of cutting essential disease research that could have prevented the epidemic.