FDA aide is ousted over plasma boast

Just after a two-week tenure as the chief spokesperson for the FDA, Emily Miller’s time on the job was marked by controversy over her effort to exaggerate the benefits of a possible treatment for coronavirus.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn announced Friday that Miller was dumped effective immediately and a replacement would be named soon.

Miller, a former correspondent for the far rightwing One America News Network, with no medical or scientific experience, was blamed for the damaging controversy in which Hahn (photo) dramatically overstated the effectiveness of convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19.

The FDA spokesperson is traditionally a civil servant who is chosen via a non-partisan hiring process.

The Trump administration abruptly decided that the post would be filled by a political appointee, and Miller was selected.

She is a longtime GOP activist with a long resume including work with gun-rights groups. OANN, where she worked, is billed as a more pro-Trump alternative to Fox News.

One of Miller’s most significant actions was her press release on the benefits of the treatment, which she hypes as “Another Achievement in Administration’s Fight Against Pandemic.”

In a press conference on the eve of the Republican National Convention, Hahn asserted that the treatment helped save 35% of patients, when the actual figure was about 5%.

Miller fiercely defended the claim. But Hahn backed down when shown the data by colleagues and apologized for what he called an honest error.