Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “failed” in his response to the shootings that took place on Friday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“How you respond to a crisis defines a leader,” said Adams, who served during President Donald Trump’s first term. “And, quite frankly, Secretary Kennedy has failed in his first major test in this regard. It took him over 18 hours to issue a tepid response to these horrific shootings. And that’s not even considering how his inflammatory rhetoric in the past has actually contributed to a lot of what’s been going on.”

One police officer was killed in the shootings, which repeatedly struck CDC buildings, Politico reported. The shooter reportedly blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal. Under Kennedy’s leadership, the agency has stopped recommending the vaccine for those who are pregnant and has narrowed the recommendations for healthy children.

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