Texas hospital whistleblower says DOJ indictment meant to intimidate him after he exposed gender clinic
A Texas surgeon who has been indicted on four felony federal charges after exposing a hospital that allegedly secretly conducted gender-affirming care on minors said he has "no doubt" that the indictment is political intimidation.
"There's no doubt, because that's what they told us," Dr. Eithan Haim told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday.
Haim accused the Texas Children's Hospital, where he completed his residency, of secretly performing gender-affirming care procedures on minors despite previously claiming they planned to shut down the program after state Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion saying the procedures could be considered child abuse under state law.
DOJ CHARGES TEXAS DOCTOR AFTER HE BLEW THE WHISTLE ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS
"They were giving every indication to the public that they were shutting down this program, but I worked there. I did surgery there. I knew categorically this was untrue. They not only continued the program, but expanded it behind closed doors," Haim said.
"As a doctor, trust is the most important currency we have. And the fact that they were lying to the public is an egregious violation of medical ethics, and especially for an otherwise amazing hospital," he added.
After shedding light on the alleged violation, Haim was accused of HIPAA violations and indicted on four federal charges by the Department of Justice.
Journalist Christopher Rufo, who received leaked documents from Haim regarding the practice, said none of them contained private patient information.
Last week, U.S. marshals entered Haim's home, handed him a summons and told him to face the indictments in court.
Haim told Ingraham there's a "remarkable amount" of money involved in gender-affirming care procedures and such clinics capitalize on "vulnerable, confused" kids to keep the programs going.
"What you created is a chronic medical patient for the rest of their lives," he said, remarking on the harms of puberty blockers and surgeries.
"They're going to be tethered to the boundaries of a hospital, and it's a fate that's unimaginable."
Fox News Digital previously reached out to the Texas Children's Hospital for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum and Nate Foy contributed to this report.