CDC boss Susan Monarez's attorneys say she was not fired: 'Neither resigned nor...'

After WaPo reported Susan Monarez was fired as CDC Director, her lawyers denied it, blaming HHS Sec. RFK Jr. of targeting her for resisting politics.

Amid the report by the Washington Post that Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was fired on Wednesday, her attorneys have released a statement claiming that she was not fired.

Susan Monarez, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Bloomberg)

Mark S Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, who represent Susan Monarez, issued a statement saying that Monarez has neither resigned nor been fired. The statement came just hours after WaPo reported, citing Trump administration sources, that Monarez has been fired. The report claimed that a call with CDC employees nationwide was canceled owing to the firing.

In the statement, Monarez's attorneys seem to launch an attack on the Health and Human Services and its Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.

It read: "First it was independent advisory committees and career experts. Then it was the dismissal of seasoned scientists. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS have set their sights on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk."

"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.

Here's the full statement:

The news of Monarez's firing came just a month after she was sworn in as the Director of CDC in July. In its report, the Washington Post did not state why Monarez was fired.

Susan Monarez is a public health expert and biodefense specialist who became CDC Director after senior roles at HHS and OSTP.