Trump’s Pick to Lead CDC Suddenly Withdrawn — as He Was on His Way to Confirmation Hearing

(Brendan Farrington/AP photo)

Dr. David Weldon, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been withdrawn from consideration — and he reportedly learned of the decision while on his way to the confirmation hearing.

Weldon, a former Florida congressman, was en route to his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill when he heard the White House had revoked the nomination, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The White House pulled Weldon’s consideration for the position after it became clear he did not have the votes for confirmation, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, told the Associated Press.

Weldon, 71, served as a member of Congress in Florida from 1995-2002, and has been in private practice as a doctor since.

He had come under scrutiny in recent weeks over his past views on vaccines, including the discredited notion that they cause autism, a belief once shared by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).