Hoalst said that, in recent months, White had begun speaking increasingly about his distrust of COVID-19 vaccines and would work it into casual conversations about entirely unrelated topics.
Disinformation
One can draw a straight line from White’s alleged fears to Kennedy’s past comments. Kennedy is one of the most prolific spreaders of anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation in the US and has spent years sowing doubt and fear about lifesaving immunizations. During the pandemic, he only ramped up his dangerous rhetoric. As The New York Times noted, in 2021, Kennedy falsely called the COVID-19 shots the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” He also called the CDC a “cesspool of corruption.”
On Sunday, CNN reported that the CDC held a video conference with approximately 800 staff members to discuss the traumatic event and allow them to ask questions. Staff said they felt like “sitting ducks” as bullets whizzed just over their cubicle walls and they dove for the floor.
Stat also got access to the call and reported that another employee asked newly confirmed CDC Director Susan Monarez if she had been in touch with Kennedy directly about the shooting.
“Do you expect Secretary Kennedy to make a statement about this, and are you able to speak to the misinformation—the disinformation—that caused this issue, and what your plan forward is to ensure this doesn’t happen again?” the employee asked.
Monarez did not directly answer the question, saying only that she had been in touch with Kennedy’s office. “It’s a good question. We’ve been in constant communication with the Office of the Secretary, and more will be coming,” Monarez said.
“Deeply disturbing”
The officer killed in the attack was identified as 33-year-old David Rose of the DeKalb County Police Department, who had been on the job for nearly a year. He was seriously injured by the shooter and later died at the hospital. Rose was a father of two with a third on the way.
In addition to the CDC staff threatened in the shooting, the CDC’s campus also has a daycare, which was caring for 92 children at the time, CNN reported.
A union representing CDC staff released a statement saying in part:
This tragedy was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured. The deliberate targeting of CDC through this violent act is deeply disturbing, completely unacceptable, and an attack on every public servant. Early reports indicate the gunman was motivated by vaccine disinformation, which continues to pose a dangerous threat to public health and safety.
Staff have reportedly been told they may work remotely on Monday.
