Michael Caputo Facts for Kids

For the American football player, see Michael Caputo (American football). For the West Virginia politician, see Mike Caputo.

Quick facts for kids Michael Caputo


Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Public Affairs
In office April 16, 2020 – January 20, 2021
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Ryan Murphy (acting)
Succeeded by	Mark Weber (acting)

Personal details
Born	Michael Raymon Caputo (1962-03-24) March 24, 1962 (age 63) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University at Buffalo (BA)

Michael Raymon Caputo (born March 24, 1962) is an American political strategist. A political strategist helps politicians plan their campaigns and communicate with the public. In April 2020, during the Trump administration, Caputo was chosen to be the assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Early in his career, he worked for President Ronald Reagan's administration. He also worked on President George H. W. Bush's campaign in 1992. After the Soviet Union ended, Caputo moved to Russia in 1994 and became an adviser to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. In 2000, he worked for Gazprom Media, a large Russian media company, to help improve the image of Vladimir Putin in the United States.

Caputo later returned to the U.S. and started his own public relations company. He also worked on a political campaign in Ukraine. He was a key part of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in New York.

While working at the HHS, Caputo tried to change or delay scientific reports about the COVID-19 pandemic from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). He also accused CDC scientists of working against the president. In September 2020, he took a two-month medical leave after making controversial comments online.

Early Life and Education
Career
Investigation
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Michael Caputo was born in 1962 in Buffalo, New York. After high school, he joined the United States Army and worked in public relations in Hawaii. Public relations is the work of managing how the public sees a person or organization. After leaving the army in 1983, he went to the University at Buffalo.

Caputo was mentored by Roger J. Stone Jr., another political advisor. Stone taught him that making political campaigns entertaining could help candidates win. Caputo even worked as Stone's personal driver for a time.

Career

Working in Washington

During the Reagan Administration, Caputo helped promote the president's policies in Central America. He worked with Oliver North on public relations efforts in the region. Later, he worked for President George H. W. Bush's campaign during the 1992 United States presidential election.

Time in Russia and Ukraine

After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, Caputo moved to Russia in 1994. He worked as an adviser to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. He said he played an important part in helping Yeltsin get elected for a second term.

In 2000, Caputo was hired by Gazprom-Media, a company connected to the Russian energy giant Gazprom. His job was to improve how Russian leader Vladimir Putin was seen in the United States. He returned to the U.S. later that year.

In 2007, Caputo went to Ukraine to advise a politician running for a seat in the country's parliament.

Campaign Work in New York

Caputo was the campaign manager for businessman Carl Paladino in his 2010 race for Governor of New York. Paladino was not well-known at the time. Caputo's bold campaign style helped him get a lot of attention.

Caputo described their team as "junkyard dogs, not pedigreed poodles," meaning they were tough and not afraid of a fight.

Working for Donald Trump

In 2014, Donald Trump hired Caputo to help with his bid to buy the Buffalo Bills football team. Caputo created a fan group to build public support for Trump's offer. The group also worked to create negative feelings about other potential buyers. In the end, another person, Terrence Pegula, bought the team.

Caputo joined Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as a political adviser for the New York primary. He worked with Carl Paladino to help Trump win the state. Caputo was in charge of communications in New York. He left the campaign in June 2016 after the campaign manager was replaced.

Role in the Trump Administration

In April 2020, Caputo was appointed as the head of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This made him the main spokesperson for the department. He did not have a background in medicine or science.

COVID-19 Reports

While at HHS, Caputo and his team tried to influence the scientific reports published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These reports, called the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), provide important health information. Caputo's team wanted to change or delay reports that they felt made President Trump look bad.

Caputo said he did this because he believed the reports sometimes included political opinions. He appointed Dr. Paul Alexander as his scientific advisor. Alexander tried to stop some reports from being published and accused CDC scientists of trying to "hurt the president." The CDC resisted many of these changes.

Controversial Statements and Leave of Absence

In September 2020, Caputo posted a video on his personal Facebook page. In it, he made serious claims that CDC scientists were working against President Trump. He also warned his followers to "buy ammunition" because he believed there would be armed conflict after the election.

Two days later, Caputo apologized to the staff at HHS. He said that his physical and mental health were suffering. On September 16, he announced he was taking a 60-day medical leave. His advisor, Paul Alexander, also left the department. Caputo did not return to his job.

Investigation

Because of his work in Russia and on the Trump campaign, Caputo was questioned by a U.S. House of Representatives committee in 2017. The committee was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Caputo denied having any contact with Russian officials during the campaign. He said the only time he and Trump talked about Russia was in 2013, when Trump asked what it was like to live there. He hired a lawyer and said he had to use money saved for his children's college to pay for the legal fees.

Personal Life

Caputo was married while living in Russia in the 1990s, but the marriage ended in divorce. In 2007, while working in Kyiv, Ukraine, he met Maryna Ponomarenko. They later married.

On September 24, 2020, a spokesperson for his family announced that Caputo had been diagnosed with a form of cancer in his head and neck.

Michael Caputo facts for kids

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