Attorneys for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, who was fired by the White House on Wednesday, are accusing Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health.”

Monarez, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate less than a month ago, had clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policy disagreements and had refused to step down from her post after threatening to resign over those differences.

Monarez’s departure from the CDC has prompted the resignation of at least 3 other CDC officials, including the agency’s Chief Medical Officer, the director of the CDC’s vaccine unit and the head of its zoonotic division.

Attorneys for Monarez lashed out at Sec. Kennedy and HHS, accusing them of “weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk” and claimed the former CDC head was targeted because she “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.”

The White House fired back with a statement not long afterward, saying, “As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again. Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.”

The firing and resignations follow years of growing concern over the influence of Big Pharma over the CDC as well as misgivings regarding the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines that were pushed during the pandemic.

The CDC has faced increasing scrutiny over its shifting guidelines on face masks, social distancing, school closures and travel regulations which were declared “settled science” initially, only to be changed while claiming that “the science has evolved” when faced with questions over their effectiveness and scientific basis.

The CDC has also claimed that it does not accept commercial support but the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported in 2015 that “the CDC does receive millions of dollars in industry gifts and funding, both directly and indirectly.”

Supporters of the Monarez tend to see her firing as part of a purge of CDC insiders while supporters of President Trump say the firing of cronies and review of vaccine policies constitutes needed reform rather than alarmism.