Trump health official ousted after allegedly giving himself a fake title

Steven Hatfill, a senior advisor for the Department of Health and Human Services was fired over the weekend, with health officials telling reporters that he was terminated for giving himself a fake, inflated title and for not cooperating with leadership.

For his part, Hatfill told The New York Times that his ouster was part of “a coup to overthrow M. Kennedy,” referring to anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Further Hatfill said the coup was being orchestrated by Matt Buckham, Kennedy’s chief of staff, though Hatfill didn’t provide any explanation of how his ouster was evidence of that. An HHS spokesperson responded to the allegation, telling the Times that “firing a staff member for cause does not add up to a coup.”

Bloomberg was first to report Hatfill’s termination.

Background

While Hatfill was not a particularly prominent member of the Trump administration, his role—and now ouster—is notable for several reasons. Most recently, he was seen as a driving force in Kennedy’s decision to cancel $500 million in federal grants for developing mRNA vaccines against future pandemic threats. The medical and scientific communities sharply criticized the cancellations, saying it leaves the country ill-prepared for the next pandemic and creates a void for China or other countries to lead in scientific advances. Still, Hatfill is especially hostile to mRNA vaccine technology. In an appearance on Steve Bannon’s show in August, Hatfill falsely claimed that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause “biochemical havoc” on cells.

Rather than support life-saving vaccines, Hatfill embraces ineffective treatments for COVID-19, including the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the de-worming drug ivermectin. He touted those ineffective treatments during the height of the pandemic, when he was a White House advisor during Trump’s first term.

But Hatfill might best be known for being wrongly accused of carrying out the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people and sickened 17. The attacks involved a strain of anthrax that was used at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), where Hatfill had a fellowship from 1997 to 1999—though he worked on viruses while there, not bacterial diseases like anthrax. The FBI publicly announced Hatfill as a person of interest in the case in 2002. Hatfill filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice over privacy violations, which the department settled in 2008, paying Hatfill $5.8 million. The FBI went on to accuse Bruce Ivins, another USAMRIID scientist, of carrying out the attacks. But, Ivins committed suicide in 2008 before being charged and doubts remain about the case against him.

During the tumultuous anthrax investigation, it was revealed that Hatfill had falsified his credentials. While he claimed to be a PhD scientist—and conducted postdoctoral research—he had not actually finished his doctoral degree and, instead, forged his diploma. This was confirmed by his lawyer, Tom Connolly, during an interview with 60 Minutes in 2007. When asked whether Hatfill lied about having a PhD, Connolly said: “It is true. It is true that he has puffed on his resume. Absolutely,” Connolly said. “Forged a diploma. Yes, that’s true.”

“Puffed”

The point is relevant to Hatfill’s ouster from the Trump administration this weekend, which appears to involve some more “puffed” claims. According to officials who spoke with Bloomberg and the Times, Hatfill was telling people he was the “chief medical officer” for ASPR, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. However, officials and a public directory of HHS employees said his title was “senior advisor” for ASPR. The false title was cited by sources of both outlets as a reason for his termination.

Hatfill confirmed that he had used the title, noting to the Times that the health department had printed out business cards that included both “chief medical officer” and “senior advisor.”

In addition to the title dispute, officials said he was also “not coordinating policy-making with leadership.” Hatfill disputed that claim as well, telling Bloomberg he had acted in compliance with agency policies.

Hatfill said he was asked to resign on Saturday, but declined. He was then locked out of his agency communication systems and denied access to his office.