Former surgeon general torches Secretary Kennedy on CDC shooting; HHS lets criticism go unanswered

Former surgeon general Jerome Adams appeared late on Face the Nation this Sunday (10 August 2025) responding to HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s statement following the CDC shooting on Saturday, 9 August.

Adams said, “How you respond to a crisis defines a leader, and quite frankly, Secretary Kennedy, has failed in his first major test in this regard. It took him over eighteen hours to issue a tepid response to these horrific shootings.” He also highlighted Kennedy’s inflammatory rhetoric about vaccines and other science before becoming secretary.

Host Margaret Brennan pushed back slightly, clarifying that Kennedy’s statement included “No one should face violence when working to protect the health of others.” Adams pointed out the hole in “no one,” the modifying clause, “when working to protect the health of others.” Adams said that could mean in the eye of the beholder.

When CBS reached out to HHS to respond to Adams’ criticism, the department declined, pointing back to the statement. The press office must have been very busy not to respond to such sharp criticism of their secretary on a marquee national political broadcast, or to test whether reiterating worked in addressing.