00:01Senator Cassidy. Thank you. I'll try and restore a little calm here. And I'm
00:06approaching this as a doctor, not as a senator. I am concerned about children's
00:10health, seniors health, all of our health. And I applaud you for joining the
00:15President in a call for radical transparency. Thank you for that. I said
00:20yesterday, I believe it, that President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for
00:24Operation Warp Speed. If he had been President Obama, he would have gotten it.
00:28But because of Operation Warp Speed, forcing the federal government to come
00:32to a vaccine development within 10 months when others said it couldn't be done,
00:35we saved millions of lives globally, trillions of dollars, we reopened
00:40economies, an incredible accomplishment. Mr. Secretary, do you agree with me that
00:45the President, that the President deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp
00:49Speed? Absolutely, Senator. Let me ask you. But you just told Senator Bennett that
00:58the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID. Wait, I did not say that. Okay, then
01:05let me ask, because you also... Senator, I just want to make clear, I cannot say that.
01:09Okay, we'll check the record. That's a question of fact. You also said that you
01:14were also, as lead attorney for the Children's Health Defense, you engaged in
01:19multiple lawsuits attempting to restrict access to the COVID vaccine. Again, it
01:24surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed when, as an attorney,
01:29you attempted to restrict access. Let me ask. I'm happy to explain why.
01:36I had three minutes and 30 seconds left. It also surprises me because you've canceled, or HHAs did,
01:44but apparently under your direction, $500 million in contracts using the MRNA vaccine platform that was
01:53critical to Operation Warp Speed. Again, an accomplishment that I think President Trump
01:59should get a Nobel Prize for. You canceled $500 million in contracts. Now, I grew up in a
02:07middle-class family, so $500 million seems to cancel. It seems like an incredible waste of money.
02:12But it also seems like a commentary upon what the President was attempting, what the President did in
02:19Operation Warp Speed, which is to create a platform by which to create vaccines.
02:25So this just seems inconsistent that you would agree with me the President deserves tremendous
02:29amount of credit for this. Is this a question, Senator Cassidy, or is this the speech that you
02:35don't want me to answer? I want to answer that question. Please, please. If it's a question.
02:39But be tight, please. First of all,
02:41the reason that Operation Warp Speed was genius is it did something nobody had ever been done. I don't
02:49think any President, but President Trump could do it. It got the vaccine to mark that was perfectly
02:54matched to the virus at that time when it was badly needed because there was low natural immunity and
03:01there were people getting very badly injured by COVID. But he was also brought in therapeutics like
03:08hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin and all and protocols for treatments and all and there were
03:14no mandates. Okay, I have another question, so please. That's when I began litigating against
03:20President Biden's mandates. Now, in terms of me canceling those contracts. I have limited time,
03:29Mr. Secretary, I'm sorry. You've called for, and rightly so, that we should restrict
03:34participation in agencies for those with conflict of interest. I would like to submit for the record
03:41an evaluation of the conflict of interest of those who are on the ACIP and the Vaccines and
03:47Related Biologic Products Advisory Board. It was not 97 percent as alleged, rather it was 6.9 percent
03:54and it was 1.2 percent, I think, for the other panel. Without objection. Now, I am concerned though,
03:59because many of those whom you have nominated for the ACIP board. Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have my
04:06time back? Yes. What I am concerned about is that many of those whom you've nominated for ACIP
04:16have received revenue as serving as expert witnesses for plaintiff's attorneys suing vaccine makers.
04:25Now, one of my colleagues in another setting alleged that you seem more interested in settlements than
04:31science. If we put people who are paid witnesses for vaccine, people suing vaccines, that actually
04:40seems like a conflict of interest. Real quickly, do you agree with that? No, I don't.
04:44It may be a bias. And that bias, if disclosed, is okay. But it's not a financial conflict of interest.
04:58Let me finish up. Let me finish up. You also told Senator Wyden at the outset that you didn't want to
05:07take vaccines away from people. And as I conclude, I would like to say this. Because of the conflicting
05:13recommendations made by about COVID. This is from Eric Erickson, good conservative out of Atlanta,
05:19Georgia, occasionally gives me help. My wife has stage four lung cancer. She is one of the people
05:24that COVID vaccine actually helps. Thanks to the current mess at HHS, CVS is unable to get her vaccine.
05:32Secondly, an email from a physician friend of mine. Hey, Bill, I'm not even sure what I'm asking you,
05:39but we're all confused and concerned about who can get the COVID vaccine. We are having our attorney
05:44try and render an opinion. But there's no firm guidance and concern about liability if vaccines
05:48are given to a patient requested, but not on the current CDC list. Pharmacists are requiring a
05:53prescription now even for patients over 65, creating a huge headache. I submit these for the record.
05:59Without objection. I would say effectively, we're denying people vaccine. Senator Catwell.
06:03I hear you're wrong.
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