Laughter broke out during a Senate Health Committee hearing Wednesday for 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.
In a quick spat between Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) over whether to change committee rules and swear in Monarez and Dr. Debra Houry, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) pointed out that Kennedy — who called Monarez a liar earlier this month in a hearing with the committee — was not sworn in and rejected the move, the New York Times reports.
"I will note that it's against the law to lie to congress anyway," Cassidy said during the hearing.
"That's right," Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) responded, as laughter erupted in the chamber.
"And so, but I but I do think putting people under oath sometimes makes them more believable," Cassidy said.
Monarez has testified that RFK told her that "he could not trust me."
"I could have stayed silent… no one would have known," she said. "I could have kept the office, the title but I could have lost the one thing that could not have been replaced, my integrity."
