In Washington, Susan Monales, the former director of disease control and prevention, has accused her ex-boss, Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of dismissing concerns raised with Congress about vaccine recommendations that needed prior approval.
Monales, who is 50, was let go on August 27 after working for less than a month. She claims that just two days ago, Kennedy, 71, mandated that the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices (ACIP) recommendations be rubber-stamped.
“He [Kennedy] told us to prioritize approval of all ACIP recommendations without regard for scientific evidence,” Monales stated to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Monales expressed her disapproval, saying, “I couldn’t accept that. I’ve built a career around scientific integrity, so it was terrifying to think I’d approve something that could compromise life-saving vaccines for children and others in need.”
ACIP, which operates under the CDC, offers guidance on vaccine-preventable diseases, and Monales argued that she should have the right to critically evaluate its recommendations.
She added, “He also pressured me to dismiss staff involved in vaccine policy without justification. He said if I wasn’t prepared to do both, then I should resign. I insisted I couldn’t approve recommendations without reviewing the scientific basis and had no grounds to fire someone knowledgeable in this area.”
Monales first went public with her conflicts with Kennedy in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed published on September 4, just ahead of Kennedy’s testimony before the Senate Finance Committee.
Kennedy has denied Monales’ claims, stating she misrepresented his orders regarding vaccine approvals. Monales refuted his statement, arguing that Kennedy’s rendition was “not accurate.”
Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Howey joined Monales in resigning, citing concerns over Kennedy’s leadership. “Secretary Kennedy has marginalized the scientific leadership at the CDC, compromising the independence of the agency,” Howey told lawmakers.
She expressed that Kennedy had spread misinformation and advanced unproven treatments, undermining the CDC’s critical role in battling pandemics.
During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, a major point of contention was Kennedy’s responses regarding his trustworthiness. He answered “No” when Monales asked whether he was trustworthy.
Monales challenged this account, saying she felt hurt that her discussions with lawmakers regarding ACIP had triggered concern from Kennedy. “He expressed worry that I had discussed this with Congress and told me not to do it again,” she recounted.
The former CDC director also mentioned that Kennedy indicated he couldn’t trust her after she shared details from their conversation. In response, she told him, “If you can’t trust me, then you can fire me.”
Some GOP members, such as Mark Wayne Mullin from Oklahoma, have questioned Monales’ recollection of the events, suggesting it might not be reliable. Mullin admitted to reporters it wasn’t correct to say there was a recording but acknowledged he heard from others who doubted Monales’ memory of the situation.
Other Republicans, like Senator Ashley Moody from Florida, were unsettled by the decision of fellow member Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to conduct a lengthy hearing featuring Monales.
Cassidy, a former gastroenterologist who had voted to confirm Kennedy as HHS secretary, argued that evaluating the claims of ex-CDC officials fell within the committee’s obligations. “Dr. Monares was the first CDC director to require confirmation. We Republicans supported creating a CDC director position,” he stated in his opening remarks.
The Help Committee is anticipated to dig deeper into the controversies surrounding the CDC that erupted last month.
Moody and Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) critiqued Monares for being represented by Mark Zaid, a lawyer whose previous involvement during Trump’s first term raised eyebrows. Nonetheless, Monares asserted she held Zaid to manage the aftermath of her dismissal and had not discussed political matters with him.
