The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday confirmed that it has fired an administration adviser who opposed COVID-19 vaccines and promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic.

HHS told The Hill that it fired Steven Hatfill over the weekend for cause, but did not provide details about the termination. 

An official told the New York Times that Hatfill was fired because he misrepresented himself as the "chief medical officer” for the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, but Hatfill said he was ousted as part of “a coup to overthrow" Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which was allegedly organized by the secretary's chief of staff Matt Buckham.

Hatfill said that Buckham had asked him to resign, which he refused and said he would have to be fired instead. 

The former health official previously served as Trump's adviser in his first term and advocated for using hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, for treating COVID-19 infections during the pandemic, claiming the MRNA vaccines cause "biochemical havoc” in the body.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.