Azar fires back at HHS whistleblower: 'The president literally did what Bright is saying should be done'

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HHS Sec. Azar: Trump did everything Bright said he should do

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar reacts to Dr. Bright's congressional testimony.

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Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Alex Azar hit back Thursday at ousted official Rick Bright, slamming his testimony as "yet another attack on President Trump" laden with "disproven, unfounded allegations."

"The president literally did what Bright is saying should be done," Azar told "The Story". "This guy was singing in a choir back then of everybody. We were all singing the same tune, and now he's trying to claim that he was a soloist."

"This is no secret knowledge. This is no prophetic voice or vision. These were statements of the obvious."

— HHS Secretary Alex Azar, 'The Story'

"He [Bright] says we needed personal protective equipment and that we were short N95 masks," Azar continued. "Amen -- and everyone was saying the same doggone thing! That’s why we launched one of the most massive procurement activities in history to triple the number of N95 masks being produced in the United States and get them here.

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"He said we needed more testing," Azar continued. "The president developed a novel, comprehensive world-class testing system that's delivered 10 million tests in the United States."

Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), went before the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier Thursday to warn that the coronavirus pandemic will only get worse without a proper plan and blamed the Trump administration for not taking his warnings seriously.Azar strongly rejected Bright's allegations, arguing that his concerns were "nothing novel" and were openly shared by White House and HHS officials who worked to find emergency solutions.

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"We all know and we all knew. This was nothing novel," Azar said. "I don't even remember that he said any of this because we were all saying the same thing. We here at HHS, people in the White House, that is why we were working on this.

"This is no secret knowledge. This is no prophetic voice or vision. These were statements of the obvious," the secretary continued. "And we acted on them, and the president delivered on every single thing. His complaint is the president actually did what he [Bright] says he should do!"

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Trump also addressed the issue Thursday, calling Bright -- who claims he was demoted for voicing his disagreements with the president's response to the contagion -- a “disgruntled person.”