White House COVID Chief Announces Retirement Amid Hypocrisy Allegations
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx announced Tuesday that she plans to retire following recent backlash to her Thanksgiving weekend trip to her Delaware vacation home, where more than one household was present.
“I want the Biden administration to be successful,” Birx told Newsy.
EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Deborah Birx tells @newsy that she is willing to help with the #Biden transition but ultimately plans to retire, citing her family’s treatment over the past week. pic.twitter.com/yEPy9s0Tf9
— Amber Strong TV (@AmberCStrong) December 22, 2020
“I will be helpful in any role that people think I can be helpful in, and then I will retire,” she added. “I will have to say that this experience has been a bit overwhelming. It’s been very difficult on my family.
“I think what was done in the last week to my family … you know, they didn’t choose this for me,” Birx continued. “You know, they’ve tried to be supportive, but to drag my family into this …”
The White House official addressed the American people on Nov. 19, in a coronavirus briefing, to warn them of the dangers the upcoming holiday season would bring during the pandemic. In her statement, Birx asked Americans to “remain vigilant” and “really limit interactions indoors to immediate households.”
Then, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Birx reportedly traveled to a vacation property she owns on Fenwick Island in Delaware for a family gathering. Birx, her husband, a daughter, her son-in-law and two young grandchildren were in attendance, according to The Associated Press, who reported that the three generations live in two separate households.
Birx owns several houses in the U.S., including one in Washington, D.C., and one in Potomac, Maryland, where her parents, along with her daughter’s family, live. Birx reportedly visits the Potomac house from time to time.
When asked about her Thanksgiving weekend activities, Birx revealed to the AP that she went to Delaware to winterize the property in anticipation of a potential sale.
“I did not go to Delaware for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving,” Birx said in a statement, while admitting that her family had shared a meal together at the home.
But the coronavirus response coordinator’s remarks fell short for many Americans, who, frustrated by months of lockdowns, were not in an understanding mood.
Dr. Deborah Birx Visited Family Despite HER Own Travel Warning ??? The hypocrisy is chin deep! Do you understand now?
Listen to RAND PAULhttps://t.co/bPIFVzozQO
— GrrrGraphics Cartoons (@GrrrGraphics) December 20, 2020
What it highlights is the hypocrisy of public health authorities. https://t.co/nHF3IB76H0
— Brit Hume (@brithume) December 20, 2020
In response to the backlash, Birx said that her family has suffered during the pandemic.
“My daughter hasn’t left that house in 10 months, my parents have been isolated for 10 months. They’ve become deeply depressed as I’m sure many elderly have, as they’ve not been able to see their sons, their granddaughters. My parents haven’t seen their surviving son for over a year. These are all very difficult things,” she said.
“My parents stopped eating and drinking because they were so depressed,” Birx revealed in the Newsy interview.
“This is what’s happening in households across America. And we’re going to have to take time to ensure that not only they get vaccinated, but they can recover from the trauma of the last 10 months.”
When asked about reports of her Delaware visit after warning Americans to stay home, she said, “We never visited anyone, we never had anyone into the household. It was the same situation [as] if we had been here at home, but because of the perception it created, we obviously will not do that through any of the holiday seasons.”
Some commentators, however, said the controversy was to be expected of a public health official flouting her own recommendations.
“It’s extraordinarily important for the leaders of the coronavirus response to model the behavior that they recommend to the public,” Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University, told the AP.
“We lose faith in our public health officials if they are saying these are the rules but they don’t apply to me.”
Dr. Abraar Karan, a global health specialist at Harvard Medical School, similarly said of the situation, “We need leadership to be setting an example, especially in terms of things they are asking average Americans to do who are far less privileged than they are.”
And one health official said Birx’s actions meant she could not continue in her White House role.
“To me this disqualifies her from any future government health position,” Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen told the AP.
“It’s a terrible message for someone in public health to be sending to the American people.”
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