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Nearly 1,000 Health and Human Services staffers on Wednesday signed an open letter accusing the agency’s secretary of endangering the nation’s health and the agency itself by spreading misinformation that led a violent gunman to attack the CDC’s headquarters earlier this month.
“The violent August 8th attack on CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta was not random,” the letter, which is addressed to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Members of the U.S. Congress, reads.
“The attack came amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization —and now, violence.”
Much of that rhetoric has come from RFK Jr. himself, they argue, saying he’s “complicit” in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and has for years spread inaccurate health information that undermines the work of the very agency he leads.
The gunman who fired 500 bullets at the CDC, killing a police officer and shattering hundreds of windows, blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal, law enforcement officials said.
Yet RFK Jr. has refused to acknowledge that misinformation played a role in the violence or take ownership for his role in spreading it.
“We don’t know enough about what the motive was of this individual,” he said after the shooting, “but people can ask questions without being penalized.”
Kennedy has previously called the CDC a “cesspool of corruption,” and lied about the efficacy of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic ― and their promise for future treatments, for which he’s canceled research funding.
The letter closes with three asks of Secretary Kennedy:
Stop spreading inaccurate health information: Cease and publicly disavow the ongoing dissemination of false and misleading claims about vaccines, infectious disease transmission, and America’s public health institutions.
Affirm CDC’s scientific integrity: Acknowledge and affirm that CDC’s work is rooted in scientific, non-partisan evidence focused on improving the health of every American.
Guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce: Ensure that the HHS workforce can carry out its duties in an environment free from imminent threats of harm. This should include emergency procedures and alerts that are fully functional for all workers and taking vigorous action to remove high-profile online material targeting the federal workforce such as the widely seen “DEI watchlists.”
HHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Jerome Adams, who served as U.S. surgeon general in President Donald Trump’s first administration, has also been sharply critical of RFK Jr’s handling of the shooting.
Adams told CBS’ “Face the Nation” there’s no question Kennedy’s past comments could lead to violence.
“While I don’t know Secretary Kennedy personally, and I don’t want to make assertions about his character, I will say, based on his actions and his rhetoric, he’s fanning the flames that lead to situations like we saw at the CDC,” he said.
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