When Susan Monarez was chosen as Trump’s CDC Director, I had stated that I was rather stunned at the selection.
I saw a problem with Monarez and HHS Director Kennedy over their stance on vaccines.
Now, after having only briefly been in office, it was reported that she was resigning, but Monarez has since pushed back, even amid a flurry of other CDC resignations.
Having your CDC Director and HHS Secretary not on the same page is sure to create some interesting office meetings, which was my concern when Monarez was chosen to lead the CDC.
While Monarez is not a medical doctor, she has more than 20 years of government experience and is a noted researcher. She was more than qualified for this role, perhaps far more qualified than the medical doctors who held the role before her.
Gigi Gronvall, a biosecurity expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, has known Dr. Monarez for decades and was concerned that she was going to have a problem with Kennedy from the outset, stating, “I’m concerned for her — I hope she’s going to be OK.”
Gronvall added, “I wish I could celebrate this without the known challenges of dealing with somebody who is an anti-vaxxer as secretary. When you have an original sin like that, it’s really hard for people, no matter how well intentioned, to succeed.”
Wednesday was a busy day for the CDC, as multiple reports broke regarding the resignation of Monarez as well as several other CDC officials, all of whom were reportedly leaving over the politicalization of the agency.
Demetre C. Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry all reportedly resigned their positions this week.
Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, was also reportedly going to leave.
This came on the heels of an announcement by the HHS regarding COVID-19 vaccines being limited to only high-risk individuals. How that possibly impacted all of this would come out later.
Monarez pushed back after the report of her resignation came out, which then led to the Trump administration announcing that she was being fired, but Monarez is now saying that she will not step down.
Attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell (a former Hunter Biden attorney as well as representing the fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook) are now representing Monarez, stating, "When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda."
The statement continued, "For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign."
Reports then broke that this was linked to Kennedy wanting Monarez to pull approval for the COVID vaccine for certain criteria, and she refused. I won’t go so far as to say “I told you so,” but this was clearly going to be a problem, and I was far from the only person to predict it. It’s just not a good look for Trump or Kennedy, especially now that she plans on fighting this, which will lead to a very ugly court battle and Kennedy being exposed as an anti-vaccine extremist (I am certain that is how she will portray him once statements start flying).
