Robert Malone Quits Vaccine Panel, Blaming HHS Spokesperson for Trashing Him

After Andrew trashing me with the press, I am done with the CDC and ACIP," Robert Malone wrote in a text message Tuesday morning. "That was the last straw."

Malone, the vice chair of the federal committee that recommends vaccines to Americans, angrily resigned his position on Tuesday. The immediate trigger was a public contradiction by HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon over the fate of the panel following a federal court ruling that had already put it in legal limbo.

Nixon accused Malone of spreading mistruths over whether an appeal of U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's injunction was still possible. The dispute began when Malone posted on social media that the decision on an appeal wouldn't be pursued, which was contradicted by Nixon. Malone called the disagreement a miscommunication and posted a statement on X saying as much, but the damage was done.

HHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Rich Danker contacted reporters alongside former ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff, now the HHS chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, who read a statement acknowledging Malone's departure and defending Nixon: "In light of the court ruling and the enormous amount of volunteer time provided by ACIP members to enhance public health, I can sympathize with his decision to step away. As for Andrew Nixon, I found him to be professional and honest in all his work supporting ACIP." Kulldorff and Danker declined further comment.

Malone, an outspoken medical doctor and ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stepped away from the panel of federal vaccine advisers after a federal judge blocked the panel's work. Judge Brian Murphy of the District Court for Massachusetts handed HHS a legal loss when he blocked Kennedy's attempts to overhaul U.S. vaccine policy, taking aim at Kennedy's June 2025 decision to empty ACIP and reconstitute it with new members, some of whom shared his skepticism of vaccines.

In the interim, Malone had made confusing statements about the status of the panel. Late last week, he declared that ACIP had been disbanded before saying his comments were part of a miscommunication. He expressed anger with the ruling on his X account, calling for Murphy to be impeached and referring to him as a "rogue judge."

Malone's departure represents the latest drama for the panel, which began last summer when Kennedy fired all 17 committee members and replaced them with handpicked ideological allies, many of whom are vaccine skeptics. In ruling against Kennedy and the committee earlier this month, Judge Murphy said the panelists "appear distinctly unqualified" to make vaccine recommendations.

In the meantime, the controversial panel cannot meet, and all of its prior decisions are considered voided. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he would like to see the CDC vaccine advisory go back to its original membership, before Kennedy overhauled it last year, and noted the Senate is attempting to do oversight "but obviously the next CDC director will have a role." The Trump administration faced a March 25 deadline to nominate a new director or vacate the role of acting director that Jay Bhattacharya is filling.

Kennedy had told Malone the administration feels it could win on appeal, but that it would face a hostile appellate court and a tight Supreme Court docket. Whether HHS ultimately pursues that appeal, rebuilds the panel from scratch, or finds another path through the court order remains unresolved, leaving the nation's primary vaccine advisory body effectively paralyzed.