"When Susan Monarez took the helm of the beleaguered US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in late July, she had her work cut out for her. Public trust in the agency had dropped considerably since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. And US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who oversees the CDC, had called the agency a cesspool of corruption that needed to be fundamentally rebuilt."
"She had lost the trust of Kennedy, who only a month earlier had said he had full confidence in her ability to lead the agency and that she had unimpeachable scientific credentials. This conflict spilled into public view when each presented their version of events to US senators at separate hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Monarez was dismissed, she said, for refusing to fire top scientists at the agency or pre-approve vaccine recommendations without first considering the relevant scientific data."
"Kennedy had also told Monarez that CDC employees were killing children and they don't care, were bought by the pharmaceutical industry and forced people to wear masks and social distance like a dictatorship, she testified. These alleged comments came after a deadly shooting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, soon after she became director. The gunman, who targeted the campus to protest COVID-19 vaccines, killed police officer David Rose and shattered some 150 windows."
Susan Monarez became CDC director in late July amid declining public trust following the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr called the agency a cesspool of corruption and sought fundamental rebuilding. Less than a month into her tenure, President Donald Trump fired Monarez after Kennedy said he no longer trusted her. Monarez said she was dismissed for refusing to fire top scientists or pre-approve vaccine recommendations without scientific review. Kennedy testified Monarez told him she was untrustworthy. Kennedy allegedly accused CDC employees of killing children, being bought by pharma, and enforcing mandates like a dictatorship. A deadly shooting occurred at CDC headquarters soon after she became director.
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