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Then, later Wednesday evening, NBC News reported:

The White House fired back shortly afterward, formally terminating Monarez. ‘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,’ White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

The statement in question from Monarez’s attorneys noted that she’d been “targeted” after she “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts ... protecting the public over serving a political agenda.”.....

The developments, however, were just the beginning, not the end, of a dramatic shake-up at an agency that used to be celebrated as the global leader in its field. In fact, as NBC News’ report added, Monarez’s ouster “sparked a near-immediate leadership exodus from the CDC.” The resignations that followed Monarez’s firing included:

Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Dr. Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology

Daskalakis, in particular, released an unrestrained resignation letter, which read in part, “I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.”.....

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, meanwhile, directed her attention toward the one official who appears to be chiefly responsible for the crisis in the public health community: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Director Monarez is not the problem, RFK Jr. is,” Murray said. “If there are any adults left in the White House, it’s well past time they face reality and fire RFK Jr. He is a dangerous man who is determined to abuse his authority to act on truly terrifying conspiracy theories and disinformation — leaving us unprepared for the next deadly pandemic and snuffing out potential cures while he’s at it.”

The senator concluded, “We cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of the CDC and our other critical health agencies to the ground — he must be fired. I hope my Republican colleagues who have come to regret their vote to confirm RFK Jr. will join me in calling for his immediate termination from office.”