An American energy leader is warning that several progressive ‘green’ environmental groups opposing President Donald Trump’s nuclear energy plans are linked to a ‘web of dark money’ groups with ties to former President Barack Obama and other Democrats.

Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, warned during an interview with Fox News Digital that while claiming to stand for the planet, these groups ‘have prioritized ideology over innovation’ and are ‘driven by green activists and groups deeply tied to the Democratic Party.’

‘You follow the money, you’ll see where it leads. It leads straight to partisan mega-donors, foreign interests, and failed climate crusaders,’ Isaac said. ‘This isn’t about the environment. It’s about political control over America’s energy future and our energy dominance.’

Isaac’s comments follow Trump’s signing of several executive orders in May to ‘usher in a nuclear renaissance’ by cutting red tape to accelerate advancements in nuclear technologies. In one of the orders, Trump said that ‘abundant energy is a vital national- and economic-security interest’ and ‘in conjunction with domestic fossil fuel production, nuclear energy can liberate America from dependence on geopolitical rivals.’

However, several environmentalist groups, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nuclear Threat Initiative, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and several individuals have been critical of Trump’s actions as unscientific.  

In late July, the Union of Concerned Scientists published a statement lambasting Trump, saying that ‘since the Inauguration, the administration has systematically destroyed federal scientific systems.’

UCS published a report that claimed the Trump administration is advancing a ‘systematic effort to suppress climate science and dismantle actions to address the climate crisis that will increase costs and suffering, particularly for disadvantaged communities, while boosting fossil fuel pollution and profits.’

A Fox News Digital review of UCS donors found that the group has received financial support from left-wing donors like the Tides Foundation, whose 2023 U.S. tax return shows it has helped bankroll anti-Israel protests on college campuses, and the Alliance for Global Justice, which in turn is a fiscal sponsor of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, a group the U.S. Department of the Treasury later designated as ‘a sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.’ 

UCS has also received support from the U.S. Energy Foundation, which Fox News Digital previously reported was spun off from the same foundation as the Energy Foundation China.

Meanwhile, Nuclear Threat Initiative, another group that has been publicly wary of Trump’s nuclear agenda, was co-founded by Ted Turner, who once urged other countries to adopt China’s one-child policy, and led by CEO Ernest Moniz, who was secretary of energy under Obama.

Other Nuclear Threat Initiative leaders have links to Democratic causes through political contributions, such as the group’s president, Joan Rohlfing, who donated to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, its vice president, Scott Roecker, who has donated to the Democratic National Committee, and its senior director, Nickolas Roth, who donated to Biden. 

A spokesperson for NTI told Fox News Digital that the organization ‘actively supports the rapid expansion of safe, secure, and cost-effective nuclear energy through the Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI), in partnership with the Clean Air Task Force and the EFI Foundation.’

‘NSI’s goal is to enable the scaling of more than 50 gigawatts of nuclear capacity annually across the globe by the 2030s—advancing climate goals, energy security, nonproliferation, and economic development.’

The spokesperson added that NTI is a ‘nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization’ while pointing to a New York Post letter to the editor from Roecker pushing back on allegations of bias. 

Another group, Friends of the Earth, which has actively urged the world to ‘reject’ Trump, has a history of far-left endorsements and contributions. In 2020, Friends of the Earth endorsed Black Lives Matter and called for defunding the police. The group has also endorsed the Green New Deal and said the U.S. must ‘provide finance for people in developing countries commensurate with what science and justice demand.’

During the 2020 election, Friends of the Earth Action endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for the Democratic presidential nomination. In 2024, the group endorsed Harris for president.

Since 2015, Friends of the Earth Action PAC has donated thousands to Democratic or progressive candidates and causes, according to data gathered by OpenSecrets.

For its part, the Sierra Club, which routinely pushes back against Trump on its social media account, has had an even more extensive history of advancing progressive causes.

In 2020, the Sierra Club supported defunding the police, saying, ‘The problems with policing can’t be solved through piecemeal reforms or getting rid of ‘a few bad apples.’’

The group also endorsed the Green New Deal, calling it a ‘big, bold transformation of the economy to tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change.’

It has also said it is ‘committed to being an anti-racist organization.’ In 2020, the group even condemned its founder, naturalist John Muir, for using racist language in the 1800s, saying it was ‘time to take down some of our own monuments.’

The Sierra Club Foundation has, in turn, received significant support from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, left-wing Swiss megadonor Hansjorg Wyss’s Wyss Foundation, and The Climate Imperative Foundation, which infamously pushed the Biden administration’s move to ban gas stoves.

Greenpeace, which is well known for its dramatic climate protests, including boarding an oil vessel, has been a vocal critic of Trump for years, accusing the president of ‘defying science.’

Greenpeace has received support from New Venture Fund, whose website states that its day-to-day operations are managed in part by Arabella Advisors, the behemoth philanthropy services firm that also manages left-wing ‘dark money’ funds. According to a 2017 tax filing, Greenpeace has also received funding from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which in turn receives funding from Mark Zuckerberg, Reed Hastings, and Jack Dorsey.

In 2020, Greenpeace touted that a staff member was involved in creating a ‘Vision for Black Lives’ platform and fully endorsed the program that called for reparations and a ‘guaranteed minimum livable income for all Black people.’ The program also supported cutting funding from law enforcement and decriminalizing ‘all drug-related offenses and prostitution.’

The group has provided funding to progressive state committees like the Colorado League of Responsible Voters, Colorado Rising for Health & Safety, and Democratic candidates and causes.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Isaac described the groups opposing Trump’s nuclear push as a ‘whole web of dark money-funded partisan and foreign-tied organizations.’

I don’t think they want to solve the problem,’ he said, adding, ‘these groups are about control, they’re about driving the cost of energy up and driving access to energy down so they can control the narrative and control every aspect of our lives.’

Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, told Fox News Digital, ‘the reality is the green agenda is a hodgepodge of anti-human activists who have adopted the green agenda as their religion, coupled with megalomaniacs and political operatives exploiting climate issues to push a broader ideological agenda.’

‘What we have seen for years is so-called ‘green’ groups pushing an anti-nuclear agenda that defies science, common sense, and the interests of the American people,’ he said.

NTI has been publicly wary of Trump’s nuclear expansion, while UCS, Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace have been heavily critical of the administration’s actions on environmental issues more generally. 

‘Nuclear energy is statistically the safest, cleanest, and most reliable source of power we have, yet the left is doing everything they can to shut it down,’ Hild went on. He criticized these ‘activist groups’ for ‘the damage they’re doing to our economy, our security, and our future in pursuit of an extreme climate ideology.’

Steve Milloy, who is a senior policy fellow at the Energy and Environment Institute and served on Trump’s 2016 transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency, also chimed in, calling the current moment ‘a critical turning point for the future of energy.’

‘For decades, radical environmental groups have tried to block nuclear energy, despite its unmatched record for safety and reliability,’ he said. ‘By championing nuclear power, the President is putting science, technology, and common sense ahead of the outdated, anti-energy green agenda pushed by the Left.’

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and UCS for comment but did not receive a response.

A spokesperson for Kamala Harris confirmed to Fox News on Friday that the former vice president’s Secret Service protection has been revoked by President Donald Trump.

The spokesperson added that there was no reason given as to why it was removed.

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that vice presidents usually have a Secret Service detail for only six months after departing office.

A source briefed on the matter also told Fox News that the decision to revoke Harris’ Secret Service protection was made yesterday and that is when the Secret Service was notified.

Former President Joe Biden signed an executive memorandum before leaving office which extended Harris’ protection for an additional year after the normal six months that former vice presidents received in the past.

On Thursday, Trump rescinded that memorandum and Harris’ Secret Service protection officially ends on Sept. 1.

The move comes as Harris is set to kick off a tour for her upcoming book ‘107 Days’ in late September.

The tour is scheduled to visit major American cities in its opening days, including New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Bipartisan anger is brewing over the drama that unfolded at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with the top members of the Senate’s healthcare panel forming a united front in the midst of the turmoil.

Senate Healthcare, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., and the panel’s ranking member, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., dove head first into the issues stemming from the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, which spurred a string of departures from the agency.

Monarez was abruptly fired from her position by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), less than a month after being confirmed by the Senate. Her removal, which her lawyers rejected, appeared to stem from disagreements over vaccines with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skeptic.

Cassidy was the deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing earlier this year.

Monarez has since refused to leave the post, with her lawyers arguing that she had neither resigned nor been fired and had not received notification from the president of her removal.

Following news of her ouster, a string of top officials at the CDC announced their resignations, too, including National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Daniel Jernigan, Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis and Director of Public Health Data, Science, Technology Jennifer Layden.

In response to their resignations, Cassidy demanded that the federal government’s vaccine advisory panel, which was filled with Kennedy’s handpicked replacements after he recently booted the original panel members, postpone its scheduled meeting in September.

His demand marks the second time this year that Cassidy called on the panel to halt its meeting, a move that directly bucks Kennedy’s and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. 

Cassidy argued Thursday that there were ‘serious allegations made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] meeting.’

‘These decisions directly impact children’s health, and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted,’ Cassidy said. ‘If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.’

Daskalakis posted his reason for resigning on X, where he charged that he was ‘unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.’

Meanwhile, Sanders demanded a congressional investigation be opened into the Trump administration’s decision to fire Monarez.

‘We need leaders at the CDC and HHS who are committed to improving public health and have the courage to stand up for science, not officials who have a history of spreading bogus conspiracy theories and disinformation,’ Sanders said Thursday.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.  

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who posted his resignation letter on social media used the term ‘pregnant people’ and capped off his missive by including ‘he/his/him’ pronouns after his name.

‘I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business,’ Dr. Demetre Daskalakis wrote in the lengthy post on X.

Daskalakis accused President Donald Trump’s administration of attempting ‘to erase transgender populations.’

‘For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision,’ he wrote.

The inclusion of pronouns and the term ‘pregnant people’ caught people’s attention.

‘This resignation is a huge win for the Trump administration and the American people. We don’t need anyone who can’t understand basic biology working at the CDC,’ noted Jeremy Redfern, communications director for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Karol Markowicz tweeted, ‘No one who uses ‘pregnant people’ should work at the CDC. This isn’t hard.’ 

Responding to Markowicz’s post, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, ‘Example of how ‘trusting the science’ really means following the political science and perpetuating the prevailing narrative…’ He added, ‘Embracing evidence-based medicine should be the bare minimum for working at the CDC…’

Daskalakis suggested that the Department of Health and Human Services is on a ‘dangerous’ path.

‘I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,’ he wrote.

‘I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States,’ Daskalakis concluded at the end of his message.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on Thursday.

The nominee President Donald Trump tapped to serve as ambassador to a United Nations office charged with overseeing global aviation standards has a checkered tax history and background donating to Democrats and political opponents of the president, a Fox News Digital review of the nominee’s public records found. 

The White House and Trump allies, however, have doubled down in support of the nominee, saying he will assist the administration in ‘ushering in the Golden Age of aviation.’ 

Jeffrey Anderson was tapped to lead the International Civil Aviation Organization in July, when the White House published a list of nominations to fill various roles, from the International Civil Aviation Organization ambassadorship to director of the Mint to membership with the National Labor Relations Board. Anderson is a U.S. Navy veteran who worked as a commercial airline captain for more than 34 years, retiring from that role earlier in 2025, according to his LinkedIn. 

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a U.N. office based in Montreal that is charged with overseeing international aviation standards, including issues related to safety, navigation and environmental protection. The role had sat vacant for the past three years, when the former ambassador, pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, stepped down in 2022. 

Sullenberger gained widespread applause in 2009, when the US Airways pilot landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines — an event known as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson.’

Anderson is a former Delta Air Lines pilot whose nomination drew ire from the Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents nearly 80,000 pilots across the U.S. and Canada, arguing his ‘only’ qualification was supporting an effort to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age. 

The union opposes increasing the mandatory retirement from 65 years of age to 67, arguing it ‘would leave the United States as an outlier in the global aviation space and create chaos on pilot labor, and international and domestic flight operations,’ the group’s statement in July read.

Fox News Digital took a look back at Anderson’s political campaign contributions and found he donated to a handful of Democratic candidates often hostile to Trump and his policies. 

He also made a handful of small dollar donations to Republican Nikki Haley during the 2024 campaign cycle, when the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. ran against Trump, whom she slammed as ‘unhinged’ while on the campaign trail before dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump as the GOP nominee for president. 

Anderson contributed at least $200 to Haley during the month of February 2024, when Haley and Trump were the only GOP candidates left in the primary race, according to four small dollar donations recorded by the Federal Election Commission. 

The former pilot also donated to Shawn Harris, the former Democratic opponent who tried to unseat Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 2024 cycle. The $100 donation was made in September 2024 through ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s massive fundraising arm, and earmarked for the Democratic candidate who ultimately failed to oust Greene. 

Harris’ campaign included slamming Trump and characterizing him as a politician who acts as a ‘king’ and threatens democracy. 

Anderson’s political donations to Democrats stretch back years, including in 2017 when he donated to Democrats, such as former House candidate Dan Ward in Virginia and former Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon — both of whom received $250 contributions from Anderson that year, according to election records. 

Both Democrats had slammed Trump and his policies across his first administration, including DeFazio declaring after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol that: ‘Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy, national security and the safety of all Americans. He must be removed from office immediately.’ 

The former Delta pilot has also landed in hot water over unpaid taxes, Fox News Digital found. IRS records show Anderson and his wife had over $426,000 in unpaid federal taxes across seven years from 2013 to 2019, raising concerns that his financial responsibility. The taxes were related to a ‘small business,’ according to the forms. 

‘Jeffrey Anderson isn’t a Trump Republican at all; he’s a liberal sleeper who slipped through the cracks of PPO (Presidential Personnel Office),’ a former Trump official told Fox Digital of Anderson’s political donations and tax history. 

When approached for comment on the previous donations and tax issues, Anderson told Fox News Digital that at ‘the very least, some of your information is factually incorrect or tendered well out of context.’ Anderson did not respond when asked for additional details on what was ‘factually incorrect.’

‘At the very least, some of your information is factually incorrect or tendered well out of context. I am fully supportive of President Trump and his America First agenda. I have been fully vetted by the White House and appreciate the approval of the President, House Aviation Chair Troy Nehls and House T&I Chair Sam Graves, among others. I look forward to advancing American interests as the next Permanent Representative to ICAO,’ he wrote in a direct message on LinkedIn to Fox Digital in August, while adding that Trump is seeking to ‘move effectively forward in a space negligently left vacant by Biden.’

When asked about Anderson’s tax history and donations to Democrats and Trump opponents, a White House official told Fox Digital: ‘Jeffrey Alderson is highly qualified to serve as America’s ambassador to the ICAO, and he is a great choice to represent the President’s America First foreign policy agenda in the international aviation community.’

Fox News Digital additionally reached out to the State Department, which helps manage the vetting of potential ambassador nominees, for comment and was directed the White House’s statement. 

The former pilot himself also floated a run for political office more than a decade ago in Georgia as a Democrat, according to a local Georgia news report that called him ‘prospective Democratic Congressional candidate Jeff Anderson.’ In an opinion piece published that same year, titled ‘The sinking Democratic Party in Georgia is bad news for everyone,’ Anderson was described as a ‘a 2010 Independent candidate for the U.S. House in Georgia’s 11th District.’ 

While old social media posts on X show Anderson celebrated former President Biden’s 2012 DNC speech at the time as ‘wonderful American message: major concepts, not petty; Democratic, but not commercially political.’ While other tweets targeted the NRA and celebrated how Anderson ‘politely but firmly faced’ NRA representatives and gun manufacturers on ‘sensible policy ideals’ back in 2023, according to a review of the X account @JeffAndersonPAI that ceased activity back in 2014.  

In addition to the White House defending Anderson’s nomination, Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, who serves as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, told Fox Digital that Anderson will help usher in ‘the Golden Age of aviation’ under the Trump administration. 

‘As Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, I have complete confidence in Jeffrey Anderson to serve as ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),’ Nehls said in comment to Fox Digital in August. ‘Mr. Anderson served as a naval aviator and has more than three decades of experience as a pilot for Delta. He is, without a doubt, qualified to represent the United States of America at ICAO, where his first-hand experience with the aviation industry will play a crucial role in advancing President Trump’s mission of ushering in the Golden Age of aviation.’

A board member of a pilots group called Experienced Pilots Advancing Aviation Safety, added that he fully backs Anderson’s nomination, citing his honesty and credentials as an airline captain. The Experienced Pilots Advancing Aviation Safety, which endorsed Anderson’s nomination, also advocates raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots, arguing experienced pilots lead to safer skies and can mentor the next generation instead of ‘forced retirements of America’s most experienced aviators,’ according to its website. 

‘I feel 100% confident in Captain Anderson’s honesty and professional credentials. Having flown aircraft around the world in international operations for the past 40 years in the Marine Corps and Delta Airlines, and my working with and in association with ICAO and IATA, I feel Jeff would be a perfect fit for this position as it seems the president of the United States does also,’ the board member told Fox Digital in emailed comment earlier in August. 

International aviation rules currently prohibit airline pilots older than 65 from flying. Global airline groups such as the International Air Transport Association has called on the ICAO to consider raising the international pilot retirement age to 67. The UN General Assembly will convene on Sept. 23, with the ICAO expected to consider the proposal, Reuters reported on Thursday. 

Anderson’s nomination was sent to the Senate in July, and was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. The nomination is currently awaiting final confirmation proceedings. 

Foxit, a major PDF software company founded in China, removed any mention of its various U.S. government customers from its website after Fox News Digital began asking questions about its government ties and Chinese connections.

The company develops PDF software for reading, editing and signing documents, with customers ranging from businesses to U.S. agencies. Foxit was founded in 2001 in Fuzhou, China, by Eugene Xiong. Its parent company — Fujian Foxit Software Development Joint Stock Co., Ltd. — is traded on the Shanghai stock market and oversees a U.S. subsidiary based in Fremont, Calif.

Until Fox News Digital began pressing Foxit on its background, the company’s website touted clients across the federal government — from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and State Department to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. courts and the Department of Transportation.

But following Fox News Digital’s request for comment, Foxit scrubbed any mention of U.S. government customers from its site. The company did not respond to questions.

Over the course of reporting, multiple agencies confirmed they had either removed Foxit products or no longer maintained active contracts with Foxit’s U.S. subsidiary. 

An MDA spokesperson said Foxit had been used on an isolated network ‘not connected to any operational missile defense system’ but is ‘no longer in any MDA system.’ The spokesperson did not say when Foxit had been removed from its systems but added that the team behind the initial decision to use the software is no longer with the agency, and that an updated review of all software is underway. 

A State Department source said small Foxit contracts had existed in the past but were terminated, though did not clarify when.

Before the website purge, Foxit even published ‘case studies’ on work with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the FDA. A DHS source, however, told Fox News Digital that Foxit is now ‘specifically identified and listed on our prohibited software list.’

The FDA handles trade secrets, sensitive clinical trial data and even biodefense-related health information. The agency did not return a request for comment on whether it is still using Foxit. 

The Department of Justice likewise confirmed Foxit was removed from its networks last year after a security review.

Other agencies, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the National Institutes of Health, acknowledged receiving questions from Fox News Digital but did not confirm current usage.

Foxit is difficult to track in publicly available records: government purchases may be logged under distributors, integrators or resellers rather than the company itself.

Fox News Digital identified dozens of solicitation requests — documents federal agencies issue when seeking bids for goods and services — that specifically mentioned Foxit software, from the Army, Navy, NIH, NASA, the Defense Department and the General Services Administration. Which of those turned into finalized contracts is unclear.

One known Foxit contract with OSD expired in 2023.

On its U.S. website, Foxit emphasizes its California headquarters and ‘global’ reach, without mention of its Chinese listing. On its Chinese-language site, however, Foxit highlights clients such as the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Intellectual Property Office, and the National Standards Committee. In 2023, it announced a partnership with China Media Group, which operates under the Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department.

Its Chinese website lists offices in Fuzhou, Beijing, Nanjing and Hefei. 

U.S. agencies typically contract through the California-based Foxit Software Inc., not the Chinese parent, allowing Foxit to present itself as a U.S.-based company. Still, Foxit’s parent company remains subject to Chinese law — including the 2017 National Intelligence Law, which compels companies to assist Chinese intelligence if requested. 

One analyst questioned whether the corporate separateness could fully insulate the U.S. subsidiary from the interests of the Chinese parent. 

‘It sounds especially similar to the TikTok argument. We’re doing everything here, all the data is located here, we have TikTok USA. We’re a Singaporean company, we have no relations with the Chinese mainland – outside of our corporate structure, which is almost wholly owned by a Chinese based company,’ said Joel Thayer, a Washington-based tech and telecommunications attorney.

‘Chinese companies are masters of concealing their intentions through corporate filings and corporate infrastructure,’ he said.

Foxit counts Idax.ai as its subsidiary, a company specifically tailored to redact sensitive documents. ‘The company’s AI-powered solutions are aimed at professionals across various industries, including healthcare, finance, real estate, law, and government,’ according to a branded content release in NY Weekly.

Fox News Digital could not determine whether Idax has been used by government agencies.

Foxit claims to have 750 million users and over 425,000 clients around the world, with business centers not just in the U.S. and China but Japan, Europe and Australia, with plans to expand into Russia, Brazil and India. 

 Critics warn that even seemingly routine data could be of intelligence value.

‘Even if Foxit isn’t being used for secret documents, the information the company could potentially glean would be invaluable to the CCP,’ said Thayer. 

‘You are basically banking on it that the platform isn’t behind the veil, collecting an immense amount of data about what contracts and services are being provided to our government,’ he said.

Foxit originally positioned itself as a cheaper alternative to Adobe Acrobat. But China tech watchers warn the discount may come with hidden risks.

‘That’s invaluable information for any of our adversaries – how much money a contract is worth, what services are being rendered, what technologies are they looking at, what are they hiring people to do, what the government is looking into… competitors would kill for that information,’ Thayer said. 

Europe’s powerhouse trio, the U.K., France, and Germany (E3), on Thursday initiated the process to reimpose sweeping sanctions against Iran over its ‘significant non-compliance’ with international nuclear agreements. 

At 9 am EST, they submitted a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council, Panama’s Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, notifying him of their intent to trigger the snapback sanctions mechanism enshrined under the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The action comes after months of warnings from European leaders, and years of calls from the U.S. dating back to the first Trump administration in 2018, flagging that Tehran was in violation of nuclear agreements made under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – though Iran’s record of non-compliance did not initiate until 2019 per findings by international nuclear watchdogs. 

According to a U.K. official on Thursday, the decision to enforce snapback sanctions, which is expected to have severe consequences for Iran’s already flagging economy, was not a decision that was made ‘lightly.’

The official confirmed that there has been ‘very intense diplomacy’ over the last ’12-months, 6-months, 6-weeks’ that ultimately led to this decision – including three major factors like Tehran’s uranium stockpile levels, its operating of advanced centrifuges and its refusal to adhere to international inspection regulations – all of which are dictated under the JCPOA.

The official confirmed that in May Iran was found to have roughly 20,000 lbs of enriched uranium, including 900 lbs of near-weapons grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) – which is 45 times higher than the JCPOA limit of under 660 lbs of enriched uranium.

‘Iran is the only non-nuclear weapons state producing highly enriched uranium,’ the official said, adding that those stockpiles remain unaccounted for. 

Thursday’s actions mean that by the end of the 30-day period all 15 members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which includes Russia and China, could be legally bound to reimpose sanctions on Iran. 

But in speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said there is ‘still time’ for Iran to prevent the sanctions from taking hold. 

‘Iran will have to comply,’ IAEA Director General Raffael Grossi said. ‘I think there is a possibility. I’m not naively optimistic, but at the same time, there is no reason why we should not [have] a good outcome.’

The E3 and the U.S. have made clear there are specific steps that Tehran needs to do in order to avoid snapback sanctions, including giving the IAEA full access to all Iranian nuclear sites, direct negotiations with Washington, and accounting for roughly 900 lbs of highly enriched uranium (HEU).

But Grossi also noted that it would be ‘almost impossible’ for Iran to get to a point of compliance with the JCPOA due to too many technical advances. 

Questions over the location of the HEU, which is estimated to be enough to make 10 nuclear warheads, mounted after the U.S. levied direct strikes at Iran’s nuclear program in June. Reports suggested that in the days leading up to the strikes, Iran may have moved and hidden some of its uranium based on satellite imagery that showed convoys leaving the Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites.

But on Wednesday, Grossi countered these concerns and said the IAEA had no evidence that the uranium has been moved to a secret location. 

Though the stockpile of HEU is still not officially accounted for as the IAEA has not been granted access to Iran’s top nuclear sites – though Grossi said he anticipated that access to come shortly as inspectors on Wednesday visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant after being re-granted access in Iran. 

When asked by reporters whether Iran was taking immediate action to begin meeting the E3 demands and avoid sanctions, Grossi said, ‘point blank…no.’

‘Our work hasn’t started. We are not yet where I would like us to be – I will not hide this,’ he said. ‘But at the same time I am a diplomat, I am always working towards peace.’

Iran has threatened to retaliate if the sanctions are implemented, though how it will do so remains unclear.

Tehran in recent years has strengthened ties with powerful allies like Russia and China, who have rejected calls for snapback sanctions.

But even though Russia and China sit on the U.N. Security Council with veto powers, they will not be able to unilaterally stop the sanctions from going through.

In an unprecedented move in 2015, the sanctions mechanism was written in a way that reversed standard council procedure, which would traditionally require all five permanent members to approve of any action, meaning that just one veto could block the action.

In the case of snapback sanctions on Iran, every permanent member, which includes the U.S., France, U.K., China and Russia, must veto the push to reimpose sanctions.

This means that, despite opposition from Russia and China, they cannot block the sanctions, as they have increasingly done when it comes to other security council actions in recent years – leading to what some have argued is a paralyzed state in the U.N.’s highest body.

Newly declassified documents have stated that former President Barack Obama was present for key meetings with his top intelligence and national security officials that led to critical steps in the opening of the Trump–Russia investigation.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have declassified new documents related to the origins of the original Trump–Russia probe at the FBI — known inside the bureau as ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’

Trump has accused Obama of being the ‘ringleader’ of the Russiagate narrative — an allegation vehemently denied by the former president.

‘Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,’ Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a July statement. ‘But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.’ 

‘These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,’ Obama’s spokesman continued. ‘Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.’ 

He added: ‘These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.’

Here’s a look at the known key meetings the former president attended and was reportedly made aware of: 

Aug. 3, 2016

On Aug. 3, 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan reportedly briefed then-President Obama on intelligence that then-Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton allegedly was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also were reportedly present for the briefing.

Brennan’s notes from that briefing were declassified in 2020 by John Ratcliffe, who, at the time, was serving as director of National Intelligence. Ratcliffe is now the director of the CIA. 

Fox News Digital, at the time, exclusively reported on those notes.

‘We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED),’ Brennan notes read. ‘CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.’ 

The notes state ‘on 28 of July.’ In the margin, Brennan writes ‘POTUS,’ but that section of the notes is redacted.

‘Any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia,’ the notes read.

The remainder of the notes are redacted, except in the margins, which reads:  ‘JC,’ ‘Denis,’ and ‘Susan.’

The notes don’t spell out the full names but ‘JC’ could be referring to then-FBI Director James Comey or former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. ‘Susan’ could refer to National Security Adviser Susan Rice. And ‘Denis’ could possibly refer to then-Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough.

The meeting came just days after the FBI, July 31, 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. It was opened by then-Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Peter Strzok.

Days after that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and Strzok, with the subject line: ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated: ‘The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.’

‘Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,’ the memo continued. ‘An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.’

But days before the Aug. 3, 2016, briefing, and before the July 31, 2016, opening of the Crossfire Hurricane probe, foreign sources allegedly connected to left-wing billionaire George Soros were emailing about the FBI opening a probe into the salacious Trump–Russia narrative. 

That information came from emails dated July 25, 2016, to July 27, 2016, contained in the newly declassified appendix of Special Counsel John Durham’s report.

The appendix reveals that the foreign sources were allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

The appendix said that Russian government actors in 2016 reportedly hacked emails from the Open Society Foundations, formerly known as the Soros Foundation.

‘Two of the apparently hacked emails appear to have originated from the Open Society Foundations,’ the appendix states, noting that the purported author of these emails was Leonard Benardo, who was the regional director for Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations.

‘During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated…technical structures… in particular, the Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading U.S. publications,’ Benardo reportedly wrote in an email, per the appendix. 

‘The media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid …. Julie (Clinton Campaign Advisor) says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce,’ Benardo allegedly wrote, per the appendix. ‘Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.’

Another email reportedly from Benardo on July 27, 2016, states: ‘HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton) approved Julie’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections.’

‘This should distract people from her own missing email, especially if the affair goes to the Olympic level,’ Benardo reportedly continued, per the annex. ‘The point is making the Russian play a U.S. domestic issue. Say something like a critical infrastructure threat for the election to feel manic since both POTUS and VPOTUS have acknowledge the fact IC would speed up searching for evidence that is regrettably still unavailable.’ 

Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s Trump–Russia investigation, was opened just several days later, on July 31, 2016. And Brennan briefed Obama just days after that.

It is unclear if the Benardo emails were part of the Aug. 3, 2016, briefing.

Nov. 10, 2016

Then-President Obama invited then-President-elect Donald Trump to the White House just two days after the 2016 presidential election.

During that meeting, Obama warned Trump against hiring Michael Flynn to serve as his White House national security adviser. 

Flynn, a critic of the Obama administration, had been fired as head of military intelligence by Obama in 2014.

Trump tapped Flynn for the post anyway, but Flynn resigned less than a month into his tenure after reports that he had misled then-Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn ended up being a key figure in the early days of Russiagate.

As part of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements in his FBI interview regarding his talks with Kislyak. Flynn was charged with lying to federal investigators about whether he had talked to Kislyak about limiting the Russian government’s response to Obama’s sanctions for election meddling.

His plea deal involved his full cooperation with investigators in the special counsel’s office.

But FBI agents did not actually believe that Flynn intentionally lied about his talks with Kislyak.

In 2020, the Justice Department dropped its case against Flynn, shortly after internal memos were released that raised serious questions about the nature of the investigation that led to the guilty plea for lying to the FBI. 

Those documents showed how agents discussed their motivations for interviewing him in the Russia probe — questioning whether they wanted to ‘get him to lie’ so he’d be fired or prosecuted, or get him to admit wrongdoing. Flynn allies howled over the revelations, arguing that he was essentially set up in a perjury trap.

Declassified notes showed agents considered various options in the run-up to their fateful January 2017 interview with Flynn, including getting Flynn ‘to admit to breaking the Logan Act’ when he spoke to Kislyak during the presidential transition period.

‘What is our goal?’ one of the notes read. ‘Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?’

Another note read, ‘If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ + have them decide.’ 

The memo appeared to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing those different paths, while cautioning: ‘If we’re seen as playing games, WH (White House) will be furious.’

Flynn’s communications with Kislyak in December 2016 had been picked up in wiretapped discussions, apparently unbeknownst to him. The FBI agents in January 2017 questioned him on the communications and later used his answers to form the basis for the false-statement charge and his guilty plea.

Flynn had moved to withdraw his guilty plea for lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, citing ‘bad faith’ by the government. That court filing came just days after the Justice Department reversed course to recommend up to six months of prison time in his case, alleging he was not fully cooperating or accepting responsibility for his actions.

The case had been plodding through the court system with no resolution ever since his original plea, even amid speculation about whether Trump himself could extend a pardon.

Trump, in May 2020, said Flynn was a target of the Obama administration and called the investigation into his former national security adviser treasonous.

‘They’re human scum,’ Trump said. ‘It’s treason.’

Dec. 9, 2016

Current Director of National Intelligence Gabbard recently declassified documents claiming that the Obama administration ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ to allegedly create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election, despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise.

Documents revealed that in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community consistently assessed that Russia was ‘probably not trying…to influence the election by using cyber means.’

One instance was Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. 

Then-Director of National Intelligence Clapper’s talking points stated: ‘Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.’

Fox News Digital obtained a declassified copy of the Presidential Daily Brief, which was prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, with reporting from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, State Department and open sources, for Obama, dated Dec. 8, 2016.

‘We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure,’ the Presidential Daily Brief stated. ‘Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.’

But the brief stated that it was ‘highly unlikely’ the effort ‘would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.’

‘Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,’ it stated. 

The brief noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed that any Russian activities ‘probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.’ 

The brief stated that cyber criminals ‘tried to steal data and to interrupt election processes by targeting election infrastructure, but these actions did not achieve a notable disruptive effect.’

Fox News Digital obtained declassified, but redacted, communications from the FBI on the Presidential Daily Brief, stating that it ‘should not go forward until the FBI’ had shared its ‘concerns.’

Those communications revealed that the FBI allegedly drafted a ‘dissent’ to the original Presidential Daily Brief. 

The communications revealed that the brief was expected to be published Dec. 9, 2016, the following day, but later communications revealed that Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ‘based on some new guidance,’ decided to ‘push back publication’ of the Presidential Daily Brief. 

‘It will not run tomorrow and is not likely to run until next week,’ wrote the deputy director of the Presidential Daily Brief at Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose name is redacted. 

The following day, Dec. 9, 2016, a meeting convened in the White House Situation Room, with the subject line starting: ‘Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on a Sensitive Topic (REDACTED.)’

The meeting included top officials in the National Security Council, Clapper, Brennan, Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, Lynch, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to discuss Russia.

The declassified meeting record, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that principals ‘agreed to recommend sanctioning of certain members of the Russian military intelligence and foreign intelligence chains of command responsible for cyber operations as a response to cyber activity that attempted to influence or interfere with U.S. elections, if such activity meets the requirements’ from an executive order that demanded the blocking of property belonging to people engaged in cyber activities.

After the meeting, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Clapper’s executive assistant reportedly emailed intelligence community leaders tasking them to create a new intelligence community assessment ‘per the president’s request,’ that detailed the ‘tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.’

‘ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS,’ the record states.

Later, Obama officials allegedly ‘leaked false statements to media outlets’ claiming that ‘Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.’

By Jan. 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ‘directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.’ 

Jan. 5, 2017

Then-President Obama held an Oval Office meeting Jan. 5, 2017, with then-FBI Director James Comey, then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-Vice President Joe Biden.

During that meeting, Comey reportedly suggested to Obama that the National Security Council might not want to pass ‘sensitive information related to Russia’ to then-incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

On Jan. 20, 2017, the day Trump was first inaugurated, Rice sent herself an email documenting the Jan. 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting. That email was declassified by former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell in 2020.

During that meeting, Comey provided guidance on how law enforcement needed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race.

Comey reportedly told Obama he was proceeding with the Trump–Russia probe ‘by the book,’ and went on to discuss concerns about Flynn’s known conversation with Kilsyak.

Rice, in her email to self, wrote: ‘From a national security perspective, Comey said he does have some concerns that incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador (Sergey) Kislyak. Comey said that could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information. President Obama asked if Comey was saying that the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn.’

Rice then wrote, ‘Comey replied, ‘potentially.’ He added that he has no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that ‘the level of communication is unusual.’’

When the email was declassified in 2020, a representative for Rice told Fox News Digital that ‘no discussion of law enforcement matters or investigations took place, despite accusations to the contrary.’ 

The spokeswoman also insisted the Obama administration did not change the way it briefed Flynn, saying Rice briefed Flynn for more than 12 hours on four separate occasions during the transition.

‘Ambassador Rice did not alter the way she briefed Michael Flynn on Russia as a result of Director Comey’s response,’ Rice representative Erin Pelton said.

‘President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the intelligence and law enforcement communities ‘by the book,” Rice emailed to herself. ‘The president stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.’

The email also appeared to reflect Obama’s guidance on sharing sensitive information with both the Russians and the incoming Trump administration.

Rice wrote that Obama said, ‘He wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia.’

Rice wrote: ‘The president asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Comey said he would.’

President Donald Trump is reportedly working on a move that would give the U.S. a new military and economic foothold in Africa, counter China and Russia and strike a blow against Islamist terrorists in the region. And now a leading senator has told Fox News Digital this goal can be realized by recognizing the breakaway Somaliland as an independent state.

Somaliland, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, broke away from Somalia in 1991. Its government is said to be offering the U.S. a new air and sea base close to the entrance of the Red Sea, and directly across from Yemen and the Houthis, if the U.S. formally recognizes it, 30% of the world’s container ship traffic is reported to pass through its waters en route to or from the Suez Canal.

In the Oval Office on Aug. 8, Trump told reporters, ‘We’re looking into that right now,’ when asked about the recognition of Somaliland and the possible resettlement of Gazans there, adding, ‘We’re working on that right now, Somaliland’. 

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told Fox News Digital, ‘There is a very real opportunity that President Trump will recognize Somaliland during this administration.’

Cruz added, ‘President Trump is bringing a new era of clarity in American national security, after four years of the Biden administration rewarding our enemies and punishing our allies, and recognizing Somaliland should be part of this new era.

‘Somaliland has been a reliable ally to the United States, is integrating itself with us and our allies globally, and is committed to helping us counter efforts by China to undermine the safety and prosperity of Americans,’ he said.

The White House did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Neighboring Somalia has been battling Islamist fundamentalist fighters for decades. U.S. Africa Command has increased the number of airstrikes against both ISIS and al-Shabab terrorists under the current administration.

But Somaliland, 99% Muslim, has allegedly eliminated radicalism and has aligned itself with the U.S. and Israel, leading Cruz to tell Fox News Digital, ‘They’re a Muslim country, in a very dangerous part of Africa, showing real courage. I will continue to push for deepening the U.S.-Somaliland partnership, including through the Africa Subcommittee in the Senate, and I expect that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will be receptive to doing so.’

Earlier this month, Cruz wrote to President Trump about Somaliland, stating, ‘it requires the status of a state. I urge you to grant it that recognition.’

Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi , is optimistic, telling the British Guardian newspaper on May 30, ‘Recognition is on the horizon.’ He added, ‘It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when’.

Somaliland’s port at Berbera is the jewel in any Washington deal. Analysts say it is in such a strategic position that both Russia and China have tried to acquire it. Right next door to it is one of Africa’s five longest runways, offering the U.S. the possibility of both a sea and air base that can strike Houthi rebels to the north and Al Shabaab terrorists to the east. 

In his letter to the White House, Cruz wrote, ‘Somaliland has emerged as a critical security and diplomatic partner for the United States, helping America advance our national security interests in the Horn of Africa and beyond. It is strategically located along the

Gulf of Aden, putting it near one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. It possesses capable armed forces and contributes to regional counterterrorism and piracy operations. It has proposed hosting a U.S. military presence near the Red Sea along the Gulf of Aden.’

The U.S.’s largest military base in Africa is just up the coast in Djibouti. But there are security and surveillance issues at the Camp Lemonnier U.S. base where the Chinese and other nations have opened their own bases and monitoring stations nearby.

Somaliland is also offering the White House access to rare earth minerals essential for high-tech industries, such as lithium and silicon quartz.

The U.S. has described Somalia, with large numbers of both ISIS and al-Qaida-linked operatives, as a terrorist safe haven. Now the increasing presence of China and military forces from countries such as Turkey is reportedly leading some in Washington to be increasingly unhappy with its ‘one Somalia’ policy, where Somaliland continues to be recognized only as a part of Somalia. 

For now, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital the official position: ‘The United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which includes the territory of Somaliland. The State Department is not in active discussions with Somaliland’s representatives about a deal to recognize Somaliland as a state.’

But, Somaliland’s foreign minister worked Washington’s corridors and politicians in April, and several African sources, including the influential Horn Observer news outlet, have reported that President Abdullahi is expected to come to D.C. ‘soon’. U.S. officials, including the U.S. ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, are said to have been to Somaliland to meet with the president at least three times this year.

Longtime government scientist Susan Monarez is refusing to leave her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced she had been removed from the role less than a month after she was sworn in.

Attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said they are representing Monarez and claimed she ‘has neither resigned nor yet been fired.’

The attorneys released a statement on social media, claiming HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk. 

‘When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,’ the statement said. ‘For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.’

The Washington Post reported that sources within the CDC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said HHS leaders, including Kennedy, sought to get Monarez to commit to rescinding approvals for certain COVID-19 vaccines. When Monarez did not immediately commit, she was told by administration officials that she must resign or she would be fired. 

Sources also claimed she then attempted to involve the chairman of the Senate’s top health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. The move reportedly further angered Kennedy. 

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the HHS directed Fox News Digital to the agency’s response shared on its official X account.

‘Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,’ HHS said. ‘We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.’

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that Monarez was being removed.

‘As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,’ White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. ‘Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.’

Monarez was tapped by the Trump administration to lead the CDC after its initial nominee, Dave Weldon, withdrew from contention in March amid fears he might not garner enough support in the Senate to be confirmed. Shortly after Weldon stepped down, Monarez was formally nominated to be the CDC’s permanent director and was eventually confirmed in the final week of July.

During Monarez’s confirmation hearing, she expressed support for vaccines and told lawmakers she has ‘not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism.’

Prior to Monarez’s Senate confirmation, CDC directors did not typically require Senate approval, but that changed in 2022 when Congress passed a law making it necessary. Monarez was the first-ever Senate-confirmed CDC director in the agency’s history.

Monarez was also the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than seven decades. However, she does hold a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.

After getting her doctorate, Monarez entered the federal government, where she found herself in roles at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Council, the Department of Homeland Security and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Her biography on the CDC’s website says she worked on ‘leading efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness.’

Hours after the news that Monarez would no longer head the CDC, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that at least three other top CDC officials tendered their resignations, including the CDC’s director of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis; the director of the National Centers for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Dr. Daniel Jernigan; and the CDC’s chief medical officer, Debra Houry.

Daskalakis posted his lengthy resignation letter on X, citing various reasons for his departure, including ‘the views’ of Secretary Kennedy and his staff. 

Daskalakis said he could not continue to work in an administration that treats the CDC ‘as a tool’ to establish policies that ‘do not reflect scientific reality.’ He specifically cited recent changes Kennedy’s HHS has brought to vaccine scheduling for children and adults, arguing it ‘threaten[s] the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.’ 

The former CDC director also cited the administration’s efforts to ‘erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research.’   

Fox News’ David Lewkowict contributed to this report.