Top Republican Calls Out GOP Colleague For Wild Claim: Show Us Docs Or ‘Retract’ Questions
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, called out his Republican colleague, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), for claiming during a Wednesday hearing that he had a recording to prove fired CDC Director Susan Monarez was lying.
Mullin made the bombshell claim during Monarez’s testimony before the committee about her firing, just a month after the Senate confirmed her to the post, which President Donald Trump appointed her.
Monarez tore into Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in her opening statement and said he fired her for refusing to fire key staffers and rubber-stamp his vaccine recommendations.
“It was a recorded meeting, so you can testify one way, or you can prove that you’re lying … and I’m giving you the opportunity to be honest here, because you’ve been really walking around the edges and not being truthful,” Mullin told Morarez during his time to question her.
“He told me he could not trust me and I told him, if he could not trust me, he could fire me,” Monarez insisted, repeating her claim on the topic.
Cassidy later addressed the committee on the exchange between Mullin and Monarez.
“While I was at a vote, I understand Senator Mullin implied there was a recording of the meeting or meetings between Dr. Manares and Secretary Kennedy. I will note that if materials have been provided to Senator Mullin and invoked in official committee business, they are committee records and all other senators on the committee have the right to see those records,” Cassidy said, adding:
I will also note… If HHS has a recording, I ask them to release the recording. I’d also like to know why it was recorded. But releasing the recording would be radical transparency. And this is about fulfilling the president’s vision of radical transparency; this is allegiance to President Trump’s values. And so I’d ask that that recording be released. I’ll also note that we put in a request for any documents or communications that would bring transparency to the situation. We have not yet received those documents. If a recording does not exist, I ask Senator Mullin to retract his line of questions.
“Mr. Chairman,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tried to interject.
“Let me say one more thing. I’ll also note that if he has it, I’m also curious why only one senator was given this and why we’re just hearing about it now and why didn’t the secretary share it at the Senate Finance Committee. But those are questions that can be answered later. With that, Senator Sanders,” Cassidy added.
“That’s exactly the point that I wanted to make,” Sanders said, concluding:
How does it happen, if it is true, that one senator has access to an alleged tape recording of a meeting? Nobody else has it, including the chairman. This is what we’re dealing with right now. And this is what I think Dr. Manares is facing—a very politicized situation, and it’s unfortunate.
Mullin later told reporters that he was mistaken about the existence of a recording.
Watch the clip above.
