Overview
- A senior HHS official said Hatfill was dismissed for presenting himself as the assistant secretary's chief medical officer and for not coordinating policy with leadership.
- Hatfill contends he was pressured to resign by Kennedy’s chief of staff, Matt Buckham, and says he forced a formal firing by refusing to quit.
- Hatfill's spokesperson shared an image of an HHS business card listing him as senior adviser and chief medical officer, a title the department disputes.
- He has publicly supported canceling roughly $500 million in mRNA research contracts and has claimed without evidence that mRNA COVID-19 shots are more dangerous than the disease.
- Hatfill previously came under scrutiny during the anthrax investigation and later received a $4.6 million settlement from the Justice Department.