The U.S. Intelligence Community warned President Trump in early 2020 that the Chinese Communist Party was downplaying the real threat posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has since become a pandemic with more than 300,000 confirmed cases around the world.

The Trump administration was advised in January and February that Chinese officials “appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak” and “were not being candid about the true scale of the crisis,” according to a report Friday by the Washington Post.

This happened as Trump and his allies played down the danger posed by the outbreak, and critics say he missed a crucial window to respond adequately to ensure sufficient testing and medical equipment.

The article said the classified reports “didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public…