Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s spokesperson was the second high-ranking official to leave the Trump administration in two days in protest, citing the administration's move to greenlight selling flavored vapes that "appeal to children," according to a New York Times report on Wednesday.
Rich Danker wrote a letter to President Donald Trump just 24 hours after FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary quit for the identical reason, The Times reported.
The Times obtained Danker's letter, which included a warning "that authorizing flavored e-cigarettes would draw more children into vaping and increase their risk for a number of health issues, from addiction to cancer." Danker did not blame Trump and wrote that the president had "twice restored our prosperity and national security against all odds."
"The letter cited unnamed 'senior H.H.S. officials,' other than Mr. Kennedy, who were behind steps including a new policy posted on the F.D.A. website on Friday, in which the agency said it would take steps to remove illicit e-cigarettes from the market and allow sales of those that have already crossed hurdles toward agency approval," according to The Times.
The exodus has left the Department of Health and Human Services reeling, with three major positions now vacant.
Danker has become the second top spokesperson for Kennedy to leave the administration. His predecessor, Thomas Corry, resigned after just two weeks, also in protest over Kennedy's controversial handling of a measles outbreak in Texas.