Drama
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon then issued a statement to the media noting Malone’s retraction and adding: “Unless we officially announce it, any assertion about what we will do next is unfounded speculation.”
Malone told Roll Call today that Nixon’s response was what led to his departure. “After Andrew criticized me in the press, I ended up with the CDC and ACIP,” Malone said in a text message Tuesday morning. “That was the last straw.”
“Suffice to say, I don’t like drama and I have better things to do,” he added.
HHS Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs Rich Danker and former ACIP Chairman Martin Kulldorff, who now serves as HHS chief science officer, contacted Roll Call on Tuesday to provide a statement confirming Malone’s departure and defending Nixon. “In light of the court ruling and the enormous amount of volunteer time provided by ACIP members to improve public health, I can sympathize with (Malone’s) decision to step away,” Kulldorf reportedly said. “As for Andrew Nixon, I found him professional and honest in all his work supporting the ACIP.” Kulldorff and Danker declined to comment further.
Malone, on the other hand, hadn’t finished speaking. In more comments to the New York TimesHe said his departure “was not an impulsive decision.”
“Hundreds of hours of unpaid work, incredible hatred from many quarters, hostile press, internal disputes, armed leaks, sabotage… I have better things to do,” he said.
Joseph Hibbeln, another Kennedy-selected ACIP member who often disagreed with Malone, told the Times that Malone’s stated desire to avoid drama “contrasts his previous dramatic and confusing statements.”
“It’s good that Dr. Malone now wants to reduce the drama around vaccines,” Hibbeln said.
