Screengrab.
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee was blasted in an exclusive new interview with Dr. Michelle Fiscus, who was in charge of the state's vaccination efforts.
WTVF-TV reporter Phil Williams interviewed Dr. Fiscus about Lee's handling of vaccinations.
"Did you feel like you were gagged?" Williams asked.
"Yes, I feel like the department was gagged," Fiscus replied.
Fiscus described Lee's handling of vaccination as "malpractice."
"To be repeatedly told, no, you won't talk about it, you won't message it, you won't provide strong recommendations, you won't share CDC-created materials, it's demoralizing, it's frustrating, it's so incredibly wrong, it's malpractice," she said.
Fiscus believes she was fired for promoting vaccination of teenagers. The Tennessean's editorial board blasted the firing as "absurd and dangerous."
"Did you ever get the sense that the governor was an anti-vaxxer?" Williams asked.
"I would not go so far as to say that the governor is an anti-vaxxer, no," Fiscus responded. "I think that the governor has a lot of hesitancy around vaccines."
Only 38.9% of Tennessee's residents are full vaccinated, the CDC reports.
Watch:
Report typos and corrections to corrections@rawstory.com.
For customer support contact support@rawstory.com.
