White House counselor Kellyanne Conway chastised rumors about removing top health officials in the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro asked Conway late Saturday evening to react to a Wall Street Journal report that said White House officials are discussing the idea of replacing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar following criticism aimed at the Trump administration’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Conway responded more broadly by condemning any chatter about removing or silencing top health officials, including White House Coronavirus Task Force members Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, while the federal government is focused on dealing with the health crisis.
“What I find curious and a bit disappointing is every time I read a story about a personnel change these days, it has to do with somebody who has oversight over the pandemic,” Conway said. “And it’s very unfortunate to me that you have some people wishing or willing that Dr. Fauci will be silent, or Dr. Birx will quit, and they will no longer be around, or the secretary of the HHS will be replaced in the middle of this president dealing with a global pandemic.”
Conway did not directly address the question about Azar, though she did start her answer by noting how he has served as HHS secretary for two years and was present for a recent task force briefing.
Conway also refused to comment on reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be in grave condition or dead after surgery. The White House aide said she would leave it to the National Security Council or President Trump to make any announcements.
