A key health official within Robert F.Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has been ousted from his role at the Department of Health and human Services, sparking accusations of a ”coup” orchestrated to undermine Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance.Paul Alexander, a former senior advisor to HHS during the Trump administration, was removed from his position as chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The termination comes as Kennedy, a vocal critic of vaccines and public health measures, mounts a long-shot bid for the White House. Alexander’s dismissal raises concerns about political interference within the federal health apparatus and the potential suppression of viewpoints challenging conventional vaccine policies. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Advancement Authority (BARDA), a research unit of ASPR, recently announced it would wind down its mRNA COVID vaccine development activities.Alexander previously garnered national attention for his advocacy of early treatment protocols for COVID-19 and his clashes with Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He reportedly played a role in shifting the focus of Operation Warp Speed toward rapid vaccine development and distribution.
The Daily Beast reported that sources within Kennedy’s campaign allege the Biden administration engineered Alexander’s removal as retribution for his alignment with Kennedy’s views. One source described the move as a “coup to overthrow” Kennedy’s health policy agenda. Alexander himself has echoed these sentiments, suggesting his termination was politically motivated.
Prior to his role at HHS, Alexander was investigated by the FBI in 2002 as a “person of interest” in the 2001 anthrax attacks, though he was officially exonerated in 2008 and subsequently settled a lawsuit against the Justice Department for $4.6 million.
