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His criticisms were aimed not only at CDC policy shifts on children and pregnant women but also at Levi himself. Daskalakis accused the new chair of “dubious intent” and “dubious scientific rigor,” charging that Levi ignored career staff inside the agency.
But Levi isn’t backing down. In an exclusive interview with journalist Maryanne Demasi, he calmly but firmly laid out what really drove the resignations. “The fight was never about personalities,” Levi explained. “It was about power, scope, and whether the CDC was willing to confront uncomfortable truths.”
According to Levi, the most explosive debates came when he pushed to expand the workgroup’s agenda beyond narrow data points. “Previous ACIP discussions… provided a very partial analysis and superficial answers, or no answers to critically important questions,” he said. He stressed that the new terms of reference would allow for a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the risks and benefits of COVID vaccines.
But the biggest point of conflict, Levi revealed, was the subject of vaccine injuries. He described how his effort to bring in frontline physicians who have treated thousands of vaccine-injured patients was met with stiff resistance. “To me, recognizing vaccine injuries and vaccine-injured people is a foundational component of any successful vaccine program,” Levi said. “We have seen a lot of gaslighting, and leaving the vaccine injured out to dry.”
CDC lawyers even tried to argue that examining vaccine injury fell “out of scope.” Levi refused to accept it. “As it turns out, they were wrong, because it is in our scope, and now we intend on examining these issues,” he told Demasi.
His insistence on addressing vaccine injury sparked outrage among some CDC insiders. “It was their unwillingness to examine the issue of vaccine injuries,” Levi recalled. “That was emotionally shocking, if I’m being honest.”
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has quietly shifted its own position. Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for the COVID vaccines have been rescinded. Instead, the FDA has issued full approval for limited age groups: Moderna for 6 months and up, Pfizer for 5 and older, and Novavax for ages 12 and above. The shots remain available, but only under standard medical consultation—not blanket emergency powers.
The drama has caught the attention of Dr. Robert Malone, the pioneer of mRNA technology who has since become one of its fiercest critics. Malone, now a member of ACIP, blasted the Biden appointees on X:
“The real reason for the recent CDC resignations is that the ACIP Subcommittee on COVID 19 vaccines got approval to investigate the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines, and they knew the gig was up, the truth was about to come out, and they would have to account for their actions.”
Malone’s warning reflects the growing sense that the CDC is on the verge of a reckoning. For years, Americans were told to “trust the science.” Now, with internal resignations, bitter infighting, and public accusations, that trust is crumbling before the public’s eyes.
