Wednesday’s hearing by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on evidence of a cover-up by public health officials of the extent of the risks associated with COVID-19 vaccines was the first of many to come, said Sen. Ron Johnson, chair of the committee.

What began as a U.S. Senate hearing on the failure of public health officials to adequately warn about the risk of myocarditis associated with COVID-19 vaccines quickly morphed into a referendum on vaccine safety in general, the liability protections afforded to vaccine makers, and the failure to provide resources and compensation to the vaccine-injured.

Wednesday’s hearing before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations pitted Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), subcommittee ranking member, and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a doctor, staunch supporters of the COVID-19 vaccine campaign and vaccines in general, against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), subcommittee chair, and a panel of witnesses who criticized the government’s handling of COVID-19.

“I am satisfied that our Senate hearing delivered America the truth on the COVID-19 vaccine debacle,” Dr. Peter McCullough, one of the witnesses, told The Defender. “Sadly, an untold number of primarily young individuals suffered devastating vaccine heart damage. Some lost their lives because of government agency cover-up on safety data that was emerging early in 2021.”

Other witnesses included Dr. Jordan Vaughn, Dr. James Thorp, Dr. Joel Wallskog and attorney Aaron Siri. Green also appeared as a witness.

Children’s Health Defense CEO Mary Holland, who attended the hearing, said she was grateful to Johnson for “shining a bright light on what happened during the COVID era.”

“The public has lost faith in the government because the government’s policies were catastrophic,” Holland said. “Senator Johnson is leading the charge to get to the truth about what happened to our country during COVID and to ensure that nothing like it will ever happen again.”

Holland added:

“The hearing initiated a dialogue between those of differing views, which is needed. But it was disappointing that the majority of subcommittee members either didn’t show up at all or showed up for cameo appearances.”

Johnson warned at the close of the hearing that acknowledging and rectifying the problems of the COVID-19 era is going to take time. “This is going to be a slog,” he said.

He said to “stay tuned” for announcements of future reports and hearings on the issue, as the evidence released so far is just “the tip of the iceberg.”

Hearing held on the heels of 55-page report

Wednesday’s hearing opened with Johnson reading highlights from a 55-page report released by the subcommittee earlier that day. The report detailed how federal health officials in spring 2021 failed to swiftly warn the public of the risk of myocarditis and other cardiac-related issues following COVID-19 and, instead, downplayed the risk.

Along with the report, the subcommittee released over 2,400 pages of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documents, including COVID-19 vaccine safety records and communications about the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson subpoenaed HHS for the documents in January.

Before the committee heard from witnesses, Blumenthal pushed back against the claim that federal health officials had initially hidden data about myocarditis risk.

He also praised the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the “most important fact” was that COVID-19 vaccines had saved “millions and millions” of lives. Blumenthal’s assistant placed posters behind him that echoed his claim.

Later in the hearing, Siri called out Blumenthal on those claims, saying they were sourced from a blog, not from reliable data or sources.

Blumenthal also showed a poster that claimed three deaths in 2025 had been caused by measles. “Misinformation about the safety of vaccines has led to a deadly outbreak of a preventable disease,” he said. “We all know it: measles.”

He went on to make statements undermining the credibility of the witnesses, including that some profited from selling “disproven” wellness treatments and suing vaccine companies.

The witnesses gave testimony about what they had seen and experienced. Their comments varied greatly. Below are some highlights.

Witnesses cite studies showing cardiac harm after COVID vaccines

McCullough, a cardiologist and president of the McCullough Foundation, cited numerous studies documenting sudden cardiac death after COVID-19 vaccination.

“There are 1,065 papers in the peer-reviewed literature on COVID vaccine myocarditis. … This is in the peer-reviewed literature,” McCullough said. “This is not misinformation.”

McCullough said he’s worried that cases of acute COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis while continue until the COVID-19 vaccines are halted.