{"id":156059,"date":"2021-01-16T12:35:08","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T09:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/alex-azar-slams-cnn-for-reporting-resignation\/"},"modified":"2021-01-16T12:35:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T09:35:08","slug":"alex-azar-slams-cnn-for-reporting-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alex-azar-slams-cnn-for-reporting-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"#Alex Azar slams CNN for reporting resignation"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Alex Azar slams CNN for reporting resignation<\/strong>”
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Health\u00a0and Human Services Secretary\u00a0Alex Azar\u00a0slammed\u00a0CNN\u00a0on Friday night after the network reported he had resigned and was citing the Jan. 6\u00a0Capitol riot\u00a0as a reason for his departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cContrary to the @CNN chyron, I am still here serving the American people at HHS,\u201d Azar wrote on Twitter<\/a> after the network\u2019s report. \u201cI believe it is my duty to help ensure a smooth transition to\u00a0President-elect Biden\u2019s team during the pandemic and will remain as\u00a0Secretary\u00a0through January 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a separate tweet<\/a>, Azar confirmed he had submitted a letter of resignation only as part of the routine preparations for a change of administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI handed in my letter this week along with every other political app<\/a>ointee, effective January 20 at noon,\u201d Azar writes, referring to the date and time that President-elect Biden is scheduled to take the oath of office.<\/p>\n

Azar also released a copy of his resignation letter, which is addressed to President Trump and dated Jan. 12. It states in the first paragraph that Azar planned his departure for Jan. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been the greatest professional privilege and honor of my life to serve as Secretary,\u201d Azar writes to the president, \u201cand I thank you for the opportunity to serve the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n

In reporting Azar\u2019s departure plans, CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper described the secretary\u2019s reference to the Capitol riot as a \u201cswipe at President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

The secretary\u2019s letter refers to the Capitol riot as an event that threatens to overshadow the accomplishments of the Health and Human Services Department as well as other branches of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during this past week, threaten to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this Administration,\u201d Azar writes.<\/p>\n

The secretary goes on to ask Trump to \u201ccondemn unequivocally any form of violence\u201d and call for no disruption of the inaugural events set for next week.<\/p>\n

The letter lists HHS\u2019s accomplishments as dealing with \u201can\u00a0unprecedented pandemic,\u201d to which the department responded by bringing \u201ctherapeutics and vaccines to the American people in record time\u201d through Operation Warp Speed.<\/p>\n

Other accomplishments, he writes, have included \u201cfacilitating patient-centered healthcare markets, protecting life and lives, and promoting independence over dependence in our safety-net programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, he adds, regulatory reforms pursued by HHS helped save \u201cbillions of dollars and millions of hours of healthcare providers\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Azar also lists HHS initiatives to combat the opioid crisis and its effort to end the spread of HIV by 2030.<\/p>\n

The secretary says that the numerous challenges facing HHS \u2013 an agency of some 85,000 employees \u2014 as it prepares for the change in administration was the reason he determined \u201cit is in the best interest of the people we serve to remain as Secretary until the end of the term.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Azar released timeline of U.S. actions to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including how the U.S. initially obtained information about the outbreak through contacts in Taiwan instead of inside the Chinese government.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to investigate the virus in January would\u2019ve helped the United States and the world develop a science<\/a> and data-driven response,\u201d\u00a0Azar said. \u201cInstead we were flying blind, with human-to-human transmission of the virus not officially confirmed until Jan. 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

Azar, 53, was\u00a0confirmed by the Senate\u00a0to become HHS secretary in January 2018 after being nominated by President Trump. Azar succeeded Tom Price, who had resigned from the position after facing criticism for use of private planes for travel<\/a> during his official duties.<\/p>\n

Azar\u2019s past positions have included being an executive for drugmaker Eli Lilly, serving as general<\/a> counsel and later deputy secretary at HHS during the George W. Bush administration and serving early in his career as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.\n <\/p><\/div>\n