Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is walking back unfounded claims he made Wednesday during a Senate Health Committee hearing with Dr. Susan Monarez, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was fired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy disputes.
Mullin told reporters he was mistaken that the conversation between Monarez and Kennedy was recorded, which he later said was not the case.
"I understand that Sen. Mullin implied there was a recording of the meeting between Dr. Monarez and Secretary Kennedy," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said. "I will note that if materials have been provided to Mullin, they are official committee records... if it does not exist, I ask Mullin to retract his line of questions."
"But in case he's mistaken, that he was mistaken," Cassidy added, as a few audible laughs broke out in the chamber after the senator's comment.
He said that no senator on the committee had received any recordings for that matter.
"We have sent a request to HHS for records related to these incidents; we've yet to receive those, but of course, it would help the committee, which on both sides, has found itself scratching its head, which helps us kind of discern what the truth is," Cassidy said.
Mullin had accused Monarez of not accurately describing the conversation between her and Kennedy. He pressured repeatedly over her exact words and she maintained what happened in the tense conversation with the health secretary.
Monarez said she was fired over "holding the line on scientific integrity."
