Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar fired back on Friday night at CNN, claiming its report that he resigned because of the Jan. 6 Capitol takeover was wrong.
“Contrary to the @CNN chyron, I am still here serving the American people at HHS,” Azar tweeted after the CNN report. “I believe it is my duty to help ensure a smooth transition to President-elect Biden’s team during the pandemic and will remain as Secretary through January 20.”
Azar said in another tweet that a letter of resignation has been submitted, but said it was merely part of routine preparations for an administration changeover.
“I handed in my letter this week along with every other political appointee, effective January 20 at noon,” Azar wrote. That’s when President-elect Biden is set to take the oath of office.
Azar also provided a copy of his resignation letter, which states in the first paragraph that he planned to leave on Jan. 20.
“It has been the greatest professional privilege and honor of my life to serve as Secretary,” Azar wrote in the letter to President Trump, “and I thank you for the opportunity to serve the American people.”
CNN’s Anderson Cooper reported that Azar had taken a “swipe at President Trump” in the resignation letter.
“Unfortunately, the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during this past week, threaten to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this Administration,” Azar wrote, and asked Trump to “condemn unequivocally any form of violence.”
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: deadline.com
