Why did White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows issue a threat to fire Director Dr. Stephen Hahn of the Food and Drug Administratin on Dec. 11 unless the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine were approved by that same evening?

Meadows surely knew that the relevant committee was meeting, and that approval was already a certainty.

It appears to me that Meadows' move, certainly at the president's behest, was made first to allow President Trump to claim that but for him, the vaccine would not be available at all. This tactic should by now be familiar: create a crisis or at least the semblance of one, and step in as loudly as possible to "resolve" it.

The "side effect" of such a maneuver, which the White House may or may not realize, is to leave the impression that the vaccine was approved because of political pressure, and thus impede public confidence in its safety, already a problem.

What would gratify me would be to see Hahn issue a statement that the vaccine's approval is the result solely of examination of the data emanating from the trials, and so far, as he is concerned, he serves at the president's pleasure. If the president were really unhappy with him, let him say so and act accordingly. In that event, Hahn would at least walk away with his honor vindicated and the public reassured.

Dr. Herbert Ross

Lyme