CDC Official Formerly Accused of Children's Murder Allegedly by RFK Jr.
Susan Monarez, a former CDC official, testified at a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, addressing a series of allegations made against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Monarez, who was fired by President Donald Trump less than a month after being confirmed, testified about the comments made by Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who alleged that CDC employees were killing children and didn't care, and compared the agency to a dictatorship for enforcing mask-wearing and social distancing. Kennedy Jr. also claimed that CDC employees were bought by the pharmaceutical industry.
In response, Monarez stated that Kennedy Jr. had said he couldn't trust her and that she told him he could fire her if that was the case. Monarez also testified that Kennedy Jr. made a comment about CDC telling hospitals to turn away sick COVID-19 patients until they had blue lips.
Senator Rand Paul suggested that vaccines were unsafe during his questions to Monarez, while Sen. Bernie Sanders stated that vaccines are safe and effective. Sen. Jon Husted took issue with CDC warnings about the potential diseases that unvaccinated kids could contract and suggested the tone used by the public health agency was too scary.
The hearing also included a discussion about the shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta by a man who believed he had been harmed by the COVID-19 vaccine. Patrick David White, the 30-year-old shooter, shot about 500 rounds during his attack, 180 of which hit the building, and killed a police officer before killing himself.
Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana suggested that Kennedy Jr. wrote an email stating that all major policy decisions at CDC needed approval from political appointees at the agency. Cassidy also wants to know if other conversations at HHS had been recorded and has requested records from HHS. Senator Mullin retracted his statement that the RFK-Monarez meeting was recorded.
Some CDC staff were traumatized after the shooting and have stopped speaking about vaccines publicly or removed their names from papers. Debra Houry, a former CDC official, testified that some vaccine scientists at CDC have taken their names off papers they've authored in an effort to protect themselves due to anti-vaccine sentiment.
Kennedy Jr. called the CDC "the most corrupt federal agency in the world." Monarez was instructed by Kennedy Jr. not to speak with senators and was asked to never discuss her concerns with members of Congress. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The official statements or press releases from the Senate Ethics Committee or the involved parties provide no information about the existence or publication status of any recording of the encounter between Senator Markwayne Mullin and Susan Monarez. Sen. Bernie Sanders suggested that if a recording exists, it should be produced for the entire committee to hear.
New members of ACIP will meet to discuss changes to the vaccine recommendations. The hearing comes as new members of ACIP are set to meet and discuss changes to the vaccine recommendations. The committee is responsible for providing advice to the CDC on vaccine policy and recommendations.
