Azar submitted the standard letter of resignation for a cabinet secretary to offer an outgoing president, dated Jan. 12 and obtained by CNN on Friday.
In the letter, addressed to President Trump, Azar set out what he considered the best achievements of HHS in the past four years.
“Unfortunately, the actions and rhetoric after the elections, especially during the past week, threaten to taint this and other historical legacies of this government,” wrote Azar in the letter.
“The attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy and the tradition of peaceful power transitions that the United States of America brought to the world for the first time,” wrote Azar in the letter, initially reported by the New York Times.
“I implore you to continue to unequivocally condemn any form of violence, to demand that no one attempt to interrupt inaugural activities in Washington or elsewhere, and to continue to fully support the peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20, 2021. “
Azar said he plans to remain in office until January 20, when President-elect Joe Biden’s team takes over.
Azar mentions the coronavirus pandemic first and was by far the biggest development of the Trump presidency. More than 390,000 Americans died in the pandemic and more than 23 million were diagnosed with the virus.
But in his letter, Azar does not mention these figures, the failure of the federal government to warn of a pandemic for weeks, or the very late launch of tests that, according to public health experts, delayed the US response for crucial weeks that it could have had. delayed the spread of the virus.
Azar does not mention disagreements about the danger of the virus – Trump repeatedly said it would “disappear” – and does not mention arguments about the mandatory or even recommendation to use masks to slow the spread.
Instead, Azar characterizes his department’s actions as quick and aggressive.
“While we regret every life lost, our initial, aggressive and comprehensive efforts have saved hundreds of thousands or even millions of American lives,” writes Azar in the letter.
“Operation Warp Speed achieved in nine months what many doubted would be possible in a year and a half or more,” said Azar.
“To date, we have two safe and effective vaccines being administered to millions of Americans, with more vaccines likely to be authorized soon.”
While it is true that vaccines were developed in record time and are extremely effective, the launch was slower than promised.
Operation Warp Speed has repeatedly promised that 20 million Americans would have been vaccinated by the end of December. As of Friday – three days after Azar sent the letter – 10.6 million people had been vaccinated.