Donald Trump is preparing to eject Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar from his administration according to reports.
Politico reports: “Among the names on the short list to replace Azar are White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx, Medicare chief Seema Verma and deputy HHS Secretary Eric Hargan, said the four people familiar with the talks. enior officials’ long-standing frustrations with the health chief have mounted during the pressure-packed response to the Covid-19 outbreak, with White House aides angry this week about Azar’s handling of the ouster of vaccine expert Rick Bright. At a recent task force meeting, Azar assured Vice President Mike Pence that Bright’s move to the National Institutes of Health was a promotion — only for Bright and his lawyers to release a statement that he would soon file a whistleblower complaint against HHS leadership, blindsiding White House officials, according to three officials familiar with the meeting.”
The Daily Beast adds: “The White House denied the reports, which cited multiple unnamed sources, and an HHS spokesperson told the [Wall Street] Journal: ‘Secretary Azar is busy responding to a global, public health crisis and doesn’t have time for palace intrigue.'”
