Johnson Accuses HHS Bureaucrats of Obstructing Kennedy

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said career employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are resisting transparency efforts led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a report published Aug. 11 by The National Pulse. Johnson said some longtime agency staff involved in pandemic-era policies are working against Kennedy's investigations. Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) obtained a government-issued phone previously used by Dr. Anthony Fauci as part of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's investigation into the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, the report stated ^[1].

The allegations of obstruction follow months of friction between Kennedy and career health officials. In October 2025, NaturalNews reported that HHS "deep state" operators were orchestrating a coup to stop Kennedy from dismantling what the publication described as vaccine fraud ^[2]. Children's Health Defense has also reported that bureaucrats and career health officials, led by fired EcoHealth Alliance leader Peter Daszak, are orchestrating a campaign to portray Kennedy as a danger to public health ^[3].

HHS leadership has undergone significant personnel changes under Kennedy. The department cut 10,000 employees in April 2025, targeting agencies including the FDA, CDC, and NIH, as part of an effort to reduce bureaucratic bloat ^[4]. Senior HHS officials, including Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, Dr. Diana Bianchi, Vence L. Bonham Jr., Julia Tierney, and Dr. Peter Stein, were placed on administrative leave in April 2025 ^[5].

Fauci Phone Yields 34,000 Messages

The government-issued phone contained more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails, according to the committee's initial disclosures ^[1]. An initial batch of messages released Monday included communications involving Fauci, former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, and former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. In early 2021, Fauci raised concerns that fever and inflammatory reactions following a second mRNA vaccine dose could theoretically be associated with miscarriage during the first trimester, the released messages showed ^[1].

The phone's contents add to a growing body of records from Fauci's time in government. A separate trove of diary entries and emails released by Sen. Rand Paul recently caused embarrassment for the 85-year-old former public health official, according to Brownstone Institute ^[6]. The records portrayed Fauci as preoccupied with his own media appearances and fueled renewed criticism of his pandemic decisions ^[6].

The texts are part of a larger congressional examination of the federal pandemic response. The Senate committee has not said how many additional records remain under review, according to the report.

Employee Resistance and Pandemic Record

Johnson said Kennedy may not yet have complete access to information within HHS because some longtime employees are resisting efforts to increase transparency. He said those employees were involved in what he described as a cover-up and failed to adequately surveil vaccine injuries. "Bobby Kennedy has people in those agencies sabotaging his efforts at radical transparency," Johnson said ^[1].

The resistance described by Johnson comes as federal vaccine policy faces renewed scrutiny. Fauci previously admitted that the vaccine industry does not conduct true placebo trials, according to NaturalNews ^[7]. The absence of such trials has been cited by Kennedy and other critics as evidence that approved vaccines lack adequate safety and efficacy proof ^[7].

Kennedy has argued that federal agencies failed to monitor vaccine injuries during the pandemic, a charge he repeated during a contentious Senate hearing in which he told lawmakers the CDC failed Americans during COVID ^[8].

Reactions and Broader Context

The release of Fauci's texts raises questions about vaccine safety and the transparency of government agencies during the pandemic, according to the report. Johnson described the current disclosures as potentially only the "tip of the iceberg," the report stated. The National Pulse's report did not include comment from Fauci or HHS regarding the allegations of obstruction.

Kennedy has separately accused Fauci of concealing a personal medical event. In July, Kennedy said Fauci received a COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 and suffered a pulmonary infarction five months later, an event Kennedy said Fauci did not disclose publicly. Kennedy suggested the medical event was connected to the shot ^[9].

Kennedy has also pressed news outlets over their coverage of vaccine safety. During an Aug. 2 CNN interview, Kennedy challenged host Dana Bash to name a study showing COVID-19 vaccines did more good than harm for children; she did not provide one, according to the commentary ^[10].

Outlook

Johnson said additional messages and records could be released as the Senate investigation continues. The committee has not announced a timeline for further disclosures. Kennedy's office has not publicly commented on the alleged internal resistance described by Johnson.

Kennedy has long called for greater vaccine transparency. Before joining HHS, he published "The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health" and "The Wuhan Cover-Up" ^[11][12]. Those books examined the role of federal health officials and pharmaceutical companies in pandemic policy ^[11][12].

References

1. The National Pulse. "HHS Bureaucrats 'Sabotaging' RFK Jr's Efforts to Expose Fauci Docs, Vaccine Safety Issues." August 12, 2026.
2. Lance D Johnson. "HHS Deep State Operators Orchestrate Coup to Stop RFK Jr. from Dismantling Vaccine Fraud." NaturalNews.com. October 31, 2025.
3. Children's Health Defense. "A Look at Who's Behind the Escalating Fake 'Grassroots' Campaign to Take Down RFK Jr."
4. Willow Tohi. "The Revolution Begins: HHS Mass Layoffs Are a Necessary Purge of Government Bloat." NaturalNews.com. April 5, 2025.
5. Laura Harris. "Major Shakeup at HHS: Top Officials Placed on Leave Amid Mass Restructuring." NaturalNews.com. April 13, 2025.
6. Ian Miller. "RFK Jr Humiliates CNN's Dana Bash." Brownstone Institute. August 10, 2026.
7. S.D. Wells. "DIRTY VACCINES: Dr. Anthony Fauci Admits 'We Don't Do Placebo Trials on Vaccines'." NaturalNews.com. February 17, 2025.
8. Children's Health Defense. "Sparks Fly as RFK Jr. Tells Senators CDC Failed Americans During COVID."
9. The National Pulse. "RFK Jr. Accuses Fauci of Concealing Personal COVID Vaccine Injury." July 28, 2026.
10. "RFK Jr was right: CNN is unable to cite a single study showing vaccines did more good than harm for children." August 3, 2026.
11. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health."
12. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "The Wuhan Cover-Up."

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