Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, who is now engaged in a heated standoff with the White House after she refused to leave her post.
“On the firing of the CDC director: First, who will replace her? And then, also, overnight, the White House said that she did not align with the president's agenda. Dr. Monarez’s attorneys say that she ‘refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.’ What specifically did she do wrong?” NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez asked Leavitt at Thursday’s White House press briefing.
“Look, what I will say about this individual is that her lawyer’s statement made it abundantly clear themselves that she was not aligned with the president’s mission to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’” Leavitt replied. And the [HHS] Secretary [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] 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.”
“It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on November 5th,” Leavitt continued. “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 added.
