Trump lashed out at 1 'disloyal' Republican — but another is to blame
Trump announced Saphier as his new surgeon general pick and criticized Cassidy over Means’s stalled nomination.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The page attributes the article to Rachel Cohen and identifies NJ.com as the original publisher. NJ.com is an established regional outlet, though this page reproduces its reporting rather than demonstrating original reporting by Yahoo News.
- Source type — The article is attributed to an established regional news outlet, NJ.com.
- Transparency — The page identifies an author and directs readers to the original NJ.com article.
- Author attribution — Rachel Cohen is named as the author.
The report attributes claims to Trump, Means, and Kennedy and cites Means’s interview with POLITICO. It provides relevant confirmation-process context, but relies heavily on statements from people criticizing Cassidy and does not include responses from Cassidy or Murkowski.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents both Trump’s accusation against Cassidy and Means’s account of Murkowski’s role, but does not include responses from either senator or a broader independent perspective.
- Counterarguments presented — The article gives different accounts of who was responsible, but neither senator responds directly.
- Source diversity — It draws on statements from Trump, Means, Kennedy, and Calley Means, with Means's interview attributed to POLITICO.
- Opinion vs reporting — The piece is reported as news and attributes evaluative claims to their speakers.
The article reports competing claims about why Means’s nomination stalled, using attributed statements and relatively neutral language. Its framing does not clearly favor a political side.
- Language tone — Most criticism is presented as attributed quotations rather than the article's own judgment.
- Source selection — The article includes claims from Trump and Means, as well as criticism from Kennedy and Calley Means, but no response from Cassidy or Murkowski.
- Framing — The report contrasts Trump's blame of Cassidy with Means's account that Murkowski stopped the nomination.
Republished with credit
Republished from NJ.com, with credit to the original publisher.
23 stories · 77–81 · updated Oct 9, 2026
This is NJ.com's own score, and this article is credited to NJ.com. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
Trump selected Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Casey Means’s nomination stalled, and blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy. Means said Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s opposition was what stopped her nomination from advancing.
Trump announced Saphier as his new pick for surgeon general, ending the nearly yearlong process surrounding Means’s nomination. Trump criticized Cassidy, saying he had stood in the way of Means’s confirmation, and called for Louisiana voters to vote Cassidy out of office. Cassidy had questioned Means about vaccines during her confirmation hearing.
Means told POLITICO that Murkowski had told the administration she would vote no, effectively ending the nomination’s chances of advancing from the Senate Health Committee. Means also said Cassidy and Sen. Susan Collins did not support her candidacy. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Means’s brother, Calley, also criticized Cassidy.
Community verdict
19 VOTES
People in this story
SWIPE →President who selected Saphier and publicly blamed Cassidy for Means’s stalled nomination
Senator whom Means says told the administration she would oppose the nomination
Murkowski's version of this story ↗
Senator criticized by Trump over Casey Means’s stalled nomination
Cassidy's version of this story ↗
Senator whom Means said did not support her candidacy
Health and Human Services secretary who recommended Means and criticized Cassidy
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