President Donald Trump's latest pick to become the nation's next surgeon general just hung "a big warning sign" on her nomination, according to one analyst.
Two weeks ago, Casey Means testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, which is tasked with determining whether her nomination can move to a full vote. At one point in the hearing, Means seemed reluctant to acknowledge that the flu vaccine is safe and effective, which Johnathan Cohn of The Bulwark argued in a new article suggested that Means was "tailoring her statements to avoid political blowback."
"That’s a big warning sign on a nomination where the lights were already blinking bright red," Cohn added.
Means arrived in the committee with a storied past.
She is an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of vaccine denialism and skepticism, and reports indicate that Means has previously been paid to endorse health and wellness companies that have made unsafe products.
Cohn noted that Means's answers during the hearing call into question how she will use the surgeon general's powers to shape the national health care debate.
He also noted that Means's resume has a glaring hole, as she does not have an active medical license.
"That is meaningful ... because so much of the surgeon general’s job involves understanding the nature of medical care and getting the people who administer it to change their behavior," Cohn wrote.