Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has intensified his push for transparency from federal health agencies, warning he will issue subpoenas when he becomes chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations if they continue to withhold or redact data related to COVID-19 vaccine adverse events.
In a Nov. 19 letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Johnson called for the agencies to release unredacted documents about the vaccines’ development and safety after they failed to comply with multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Additionally, Johnson demanded that the agencies preserve all records related to the development, safety, and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and produce the records subject to previous FOIA requests without redactions by Dec. 3.
Johnson, an outspoken critic of the government’s handling of COVID-19, has sent over 60 public letters requesting more transparency on virus origins, early treatments, and vaccine safety. Johnson has either not received responses or the responses have been heavily redacted.
“Your agencies’ refusal to provide complete and unredacted responses and documents to my numerous oversight letters on the development and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines has hindered Congressional oversight and has jeopardized the public’s health,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson said the redactions make the documents nearly impossible to understand and obscure the public’s understanding of issues like myocarditis and pericarditis linked to vaccines.
His latest request demands the agencies preserve and release unredacted documents, specifically three documents from a May 2021 FOIA request he said comprises “only a small fraction” of the documents on myocarditis and pericarditis that the agencies “continue to conceal.”
One section of the requested documents shows that former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky received Pfizer data on myocarditis cases linked to the vaccine. However, the 14-page document is fully redacted apart from the cover page.
Sen. Johnson is also seeking unredacted CDC emails that show officials considered issuing a Health Alert Network (HAN) message to warn the public about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The agency ultimately decided to withhold the HAN alert. Johnson initially requested documents related to the Han alert in January.
Johnson also called for releasing a 17-page document, which appears to contain COVID-19 talking points from the Biden White House to senior public health officials, currently redacted in its entirety.
“What is clear from these excessive redactions, however, is a concerted effort to obscure Congress’ and the public’s understanding of your agencies’ detection of and response to COVID-19 vaccine adverse events such as myocarditis and pericarditis,” Johnson wrote.
“Ultimately, despite your agencies’ awareness of the risks associated with the COVID-19 vaccines, the main talking point from these and other public health officials was uniform and entirely deceptive: the vaccines are safe and effective.”
Johnson is currently a ranking committee member until the majority flips from Democrats to Republicans, with the seating of the 119th Congress. He will then lead the committee.
“While your agencies have largely ignored or failed to fully cooperate with my
oversight efforts, I can assure you that your obstruction will soon come to an end,” Johnson said.
