The White House on Thursday defended President Trump's decision to fire Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the aftermath of the uproar it has caused at the agency and on Capitol Hill.

“The president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing.

Leavitt said Trump or Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would announcement a replacement "very soon."

"The president and Secretary Kennedy are committed to restoring trust and transparency and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and their decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, strengthening our public health system and restoring it to its core mission of pr

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