Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., questioned former CDC Director Susan Monarez at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday about her firing, accusing her of being untrustworthy and lying about a conversation she had with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WATCH: Ousted CDC head Monarez warns senators that RFK Jr. is endangering public health
“It was a recorded meeting, so you can testify one way or you can prove that you’re lying or be honest with this committee,” Mullin said. “And I’m giving you the opportunity to be honest here, because you’ve been really walking around the edges and not being truthful.”
Monarez maintained Kennedy told her he couldn’t trust her, and she said he could fire her if that was the case. Mullin pushed back, again saying she was lying.
“I tell my kids all the time, ‘You know, one thing I want from you, I can deal with any situation we walk into as long as I know you’re being 100% honest with me. The minute I can’t tell you’re being honest with me, I can’t trust you. From then on, everything you say is questioned,’” Mullin said, adding he has to question Monarez “because your personality and your answers aren’t correct.”
Mullin later clarified to reporters that he was mistaken and that Monarez and Kennedy’s meeting was not recorded. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., later rebuked Mullin for alleging there was a recording, saying if there is one, it should be accessible by the full committee. If there isn’t, he added, Mullin should retract his line of questioning.
“In case he’s mistaken that he was mistaken, if there is a a recording, it should be released,” Cassidy said.
Monarez testified in the hearing Wednesday about the political pressure she says she faced from Kennedy. She says she was fired after she refused to preapprove vaccine recommendations from a CDC panel without seeing scientific evidence. Kennedy has denied these claims and told senators earlier this month that she was lying.
Monarez’s firing led to the resignations of several other top health officials, including chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, who also testified in Wednesday’s hearing.
The hearing comes a day before a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel that issues vaccine recommendations. Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine advocacy, has come under fire for removing all members of the board and replacing them with people who align with his views. The panel is expected to vote on authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines, among others.
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