The lawyer representing Susan Monarez, the embattled director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said only President Trump can fire her, after both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House released statements saying she was removed from her post.
“Our client was notified tonight by White House staff in the personnel office that she was fired. As a presidential appointee, Senate-confirmed officer, only the president himself can fire her,” attorney Mark Zaid wrote around midnight Wednesday.
“For this reason, we reject notification Dr. Monarez has received as legally deficient and she remains as CDC Director. We have notified the White House Counsel of our position.”
The president has not publicly commented on the leadership crisis at the CDC. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Thursday that Trump had fired Monarez, and that a new nominee to lead the CDC would be announced soon.
Zaid had earlier rejected an HHS statement, posted online around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, saying “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Zaid alleged in a statement his client was being targeted because she “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” It added she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. “For that, she has been targeted,” the statement said.
“Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” it added.
Hours later, the White House released a statement attempting to settle the matter.
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement.
“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.”
Four senior leaders of the agency resigned on Wednesday, accusing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of weaponizing the agency for his political aims.
Monarez, a career government scientist, was nominated to the post after Trump’s initial pick to lead the CDC, former Florida Rep. David Weldon (R), failed to garner enough GOP support in the Senate.
Monarez was approved by the Senate in a 51-47 vote along party lines, largely due to Democratic anger with Kennedy.
While Monarez’s support for vaccines clashes with Kennedy’s long-held skepticism of them, she was careful to avoid criticizing her would-be boss during her confirmation hearing.
According to The New York Times, Kennedy told Monarez to resign or be fired Monday over tensions around vaccine policy.
Instead, Monarez reached out to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which further infuriated Kennedy, according to the Times.
Cassidy on Friday said the leadership exodus required oversight from his committee, though it’s unclear what that will look like.
Updated: 1:31 p.m. EST
