FDA Ousts Spokeswoman Emily Miller After Two Weeks On The Job
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn fired the agency's top spokesperson Emily Miller just two weeks after announcing her arrival. This major shake-up in the agency's communications strategy comes in the wake of its leaders facing strong criticism for their coronavirus response.
Emily Miller, who served the FDA as the assistant commissioner for media affairs was fired with immediate effect, according to an email Hahn wrote to senior leaders. Acquired by POLITICO, the email also confirmed that Hahn will be appointing someone to an acting role in that position until a new spokesperson is appointed for the agency.
Hahn officially ousted his fellow Trump appointee from her post on Aug. 29. Miller's tenure comprised disagreements and a controversy revolving around the agency's decision to authorize convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19.
Colleagues described Miller as someone ill-equipped inside an agency struggling to restrict the spread of the coronavirus, given that she had no prior science or medical experience. One health official said she was unable to do anything inside the agency, and accused her of not even being able to pronounce convalescent plasma.
It remains to be seen whether Miller will be ousted from the administration altogether or be reassigned to another position. The agency wasted no time in removing her name and photo from its Twitter account and while her title remains in flux, FDA has retained her biography on its website.
Two individuals noted that Hahn's decision is not final until it is signed by the White House personnel office, which helped hire Miller in a meeting with senior HHS officials. Federal health officials began to dislike Miller just days after her hiring, and her short tenure was marked by several arguments about how the agency should go about its communications.
Five individuals said some of her clashes were with the top HHS spokesperson Michael Caputo, who is also a longtime Republican political operative. To make things worse, the FDA came under fire for its hiring of Miller, a former reporter for far-right One America News.
She was involved in Republican politics and has worked for Senator Ted Cruz. Touted as a leading gun rights advocate, Miller has also authored a 2013 book dubbed, "Emily Gets Her Gun: But Obama Wants to Take Yours."
The top communications role is usually assigned to a career civil servant, but Miller was hired as a political appointee. As expected, her appointment wasn't well-received by career FDA officials and led to questions about the agency's ability to withstand political pressure from the White House.