CDC denied Trump and Pence requests to use special power to close borders.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/519485-pence-ordered-the-closure-of-borders-against-cdcs-wishes
This reads to me like CDC is complicit. They wanted to keep the borders open to let COVID in.

Not only did the CDC release Cause Of Death Reporting Guidelines
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/vsrg/vsrg03-508.pdf
that allow for "presumed" cases to be counted as COVID deaths, and also report people who died of other causes but where infected with COVID which increase numbers.

They also got caught inflating COVID numbers by double counting.

Perhaps it's why Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass CDC in reporting COVID data
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-data-cdc-hospitals-trump-administration/