White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump’s Wednesday decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Trump’s move followed days of fighting between Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Monarez, who was just confirmed in July. Reports indicate that Monarez objected to Kennedy’s views on vaccines, specifically his recent deployment of HHS resources to seek links between vaccines and autism that the medical community says have been debunked.
Recommended Stories
- WATCH LIVE: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds press briefing
- White House defends masked ICE agents after Bowser rebuke
- Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook files lawsuit to stop ‘illegal’ firing by Trump
Monarez’s lawyers have disputed that she has been terminated at all, arguing that her firing was “legally deficient” and that she remains the director of the CDC.
Leavitt faced a number of questions on Monarez’s dramatic ouster during Thursday’s White House press briefing, where she defended Trump’s ability to fire political appointees who are “not aligned with his mission.”
“The secretary asked her to resign. She said she would, and then she said she wouldn’t, so the president fired her, which he has every right to do,” Leavitt claimed. “It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on Nov. 5. This woman has never received a vote in her life, and the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.”
“A new replacement will be announced by either the president or the secretary very soon,” she continued. “The president and Secretary Kennedy are committed to restoring trust and transparency and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and their decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, strengthening our public health system, and restoring it to its core mission of protecting Americans from communicable diseases, and investing in innovation to prevent, detect, and respond to future threats.”
Monarez’s firing has raised significant questions about the leadership structure and future of the nation’s foremost medical institution. At least four top CDC officials tendered their resignations this week as part of the fallout.
Monarez’s ouster followed her comments critical of misinformation surrounding vaccines that she said contributed to the killing of an Atlanta police officer who was responding to an active shooter situation on the CDC campus in August.
Leavitt was asked Thursday why Trump himself hasn’t spoken publicly about the shooting, and Leavitt pointed to Kennedy’s statement in the aftermath.
HUD THREATENS FUNDING FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES SHIELDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
“We absolutely were very much aware of that shooting,” she countered. “The secretary of health and human services put out a statement immediately. He was in touch with the CDC, and he actually traveled to Georgia to assess the situation and to mourn with the people who work in that building there.”
You can watch Leavitt’s comments in full below.