'Everything he's complaining about was achieved' -HHS Secretary on whistleblower

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday disputed whistleblower Richard Bright's testimony before a House of Representatives panel about the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bright, who says he was removed from his government post for raising concerns about coronavirus preparedness, told a congressional hearing on Thursday that the United States could face "the darkest winter" of recent times if it does not improve its response to the pandemic.

As Bright testified, Azar stood beside President Donald Trump and harshly criticized the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, saying he was "not showing up for work." "His allegations do not hold water," Azar told reporters before leaving for a trip with Trump to a healthcare logistics company in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

"They do not hold water."