Kirschstein warned that Dr. Fauci’s efforts to fire Fishbein at the very least gave the “appearance of reprisal.” Kirschstein added that “It is clear that [Dr. Fauci’s AIDS Branch] is a troubled organization” and that Dr. Fishbein’s complaint “is clearly a sketch of a deeper issue.”57 Zerhouni kept quiet about these damning results from the agency’s internal investigations. Defying the Senate, he fired Dr. Fishbein on July 4, 2005.
