CNN's Kaitlan Collins was stunned on Thursday night by statements made by a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official on her show.
Collins interviewed Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, an infectious disease expert, on her show "The Source" about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Experts have said Kennedy repeated multiple false claims about vaccines during the hearing, which resulted in some Republicans calling for him to be removed from the post.
Kennedy also made a number of false claims that caught Daskalakis's attention. Kennedy lied about people conducting research at the CDC, Daskalakis said, and the discussion he had with former CDC director Susan Monarez before Kennedy fired her.
"The head of the health agency for the United States is actively standing before Congress and making things up," Daskalakis said. "He did not tell the truth."
"So, you're saying he lied to Congress?" Collins asked.
"Yes, he lied to Congress," Daskalaskis said.
"Wow."
Kennedy also claimed during the hearing that he had been briefed by the people from the CDC's immunization group, which Daskalakis said is untrue.
"He was never briefed by anyone in the immunization group," Daskalaskis said.
Collins pushed Daskalakis for more details.
"He says he's being briefed by William Thompson, is one name, and you're saying this person is not an expert on immunizations?" she asked.
"He is not a part of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and he's not a spokesperson for [the center's] content area," Daskalakis said. "So, if he's getting his information from that individual, I am not sure how that person could have briefed him on material that they have no handle on."
