WATCH: Dems spar with whistleblower who exposed children's hospital for performing trans surgeries on minors
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee grilled whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatments, months after the Biden Justice Department dropped criminal charges against him.
During a Wednesday hearing titled "Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children," Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children's Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.
"I wouldn't want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they're the craziest communists ever," Haim said during the hearing. "There's no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them."
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At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., questioned Haim's lawyer, Mark Lytle, about the precedent behind Haim's case, drawing a comparison to a hypothetical scenario involving vaccination records for measles.
"If I'm in Texas, and there's a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor's patients aren't vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?" Raskin asked.
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"Dr. Haim didn't break into any systems," Lytle responded. "He was authorized to see these records by Texas Children's Hospital, and the prosecutor knew that."
"Was he authorized to release the information?" Raskin asked.
"He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing," Lytle said.
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Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim "did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority" and instead "went to an ideological organization in the media."
Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General's office as well as the media, adding, "Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers."
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were "a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters."
"There has to be a certain standard with our justice system, where people can't just bring these charges and power through the courts and send these people to prison, because that's what was going to happen to me," Haim said.
Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who's in office.
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"This case is an example of that," Lytle said. "It's extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It's really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased."
Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released.
"When children are being mutilated and sterilized," Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included.
Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures.
Haim's whistleblower report occurred during a transitional period in Texas' policies regarding transgender treatments for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children's Hospital announced it would stop such services to children following Gov. Greg Abbott's directive to investigate such treatments as potential child abuse. The hospital later resumed these services after determining compliance with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state, with the law taking effect on Sept. 1, 2024.
DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital's reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on "child abuse" in the hospital.
In January, the DOJ dismissed the case "with prejudice," preventing future prosecution on the same grounds. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed the "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation" executive order, suspending federal funds for gender-transition procedures for minors, including coverage under Medicaid.Original article source: WATCH: Dems spar with whistleblower who exposed children's hospital for performing trans surgeries on minors
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Associated Press
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Politico
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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
AOC Should Be 'Tried for Treason' Over Trump Impeachment Calls: Giuliani
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Democrats calling for President Donald Trump to be impeached over the U.S.'s military strikes on Iran should be "tried for treason," Rudy Giuliani has said. The former mayor of New York, an ardent supporter of the president, made the comment on Newsmax's Sunday Agenda after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York known as AOC, criticized Trump's decision to bomb Iran as "clearly grounds for impeachment." Newsweek has contacted representatives for Giuliani and Ocasio-Cortez for comment by email outside standard working hours. Why It Matters On Saturday, the president announced strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in response to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, a U.S. ally. On June 13, Israel struck Tehran, Iran's capital, and other cities to disrupt its nuclear capabilities, and Iran retaliated with strikes of its own, the majority of which were intercepted by Israeli defense systems. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaking to reporters outside his apartment building in New York on August 23, 2023. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaking to reporters outside his apartment building in New York on August 23, 2023. Seth Wenig/AP Photo While Democrats are split on Trump's response, Ocasio-Cortez said the attack was "disastrous," writing on X, formerly Twitter, that it was "a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers." What To Know Giuliani told Newsmax that the military strikes were "brilliant" and called Iran "a terrorist state." He then criticized Democrats for speaking out against the strikes. "I find what the Democrats are doing—they want an impeachment, they should be tried for treason," he said. "American and military personnel are right now in harm's way coming back from that strike, and they are in harm's way all over the Middle East. And they are condemning the president for taking action against a country that wants to annihilate us." While Giuliani did not mention Ocasio-Cortez by name, the Newsmax host said after his comments, "You're referring to Congresswoman AOC, who's now calling for President Trump's impeachment." Rudy says AOC 'should be tried for treason' after she called for Trump to be impeached over Iran. — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 23, 2025 What People Are Saying Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, also criticized Ocasio-Cortez, writing on X on Saturday: "Shut up you pathetic little hypocrite. YOU fully supported our military and IC running the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. And you VOTED to fund the Ukraine war under your President with dementia. You don't get to play anti-war and moral outrage anymore." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, wrote on X on Saturday: "The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment." Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, said in a news release on Saturday: "President Trump sending U.S. troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war." What Happens Next Iran's response to the U.S.'s strikes remains to be seen. Trump has warned the country of further U.S. military strikes if it does not seek peace quickly.
