White House Abruptly Yanks CDC Nomination of Dave Weldon, Longtime Vaccine Skeptic

The Trump administration appears to have reached a bridge too far. On Thursday, the White House withdrew its nomination of former Florida congressman and physician Dave Weldon to take charge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Axios was the first to report on the withdrawal, occurring mere minutes before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee was to hold a meeting discussing Weldon’s nomination. Throughout his legislative career, Weldon questioned the safety of vaccines, often by pointing to a debunked link between vaccines and autism. It appears that people within the administration, reportedly including Robert F. Kennedy Jr, did not feel confident about his chances to secure the nomination, given these views. President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Weldon to become the next director of the CDC late last year. It’s a position that was previously filled through presidential appointment alone, but now requires Senate confirmation th ... Read full article.