Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee burned whistleblower Dr. Heim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatment months after the Biden Department of Justice dropped criminal charges against him.
At a hearing Wednesday entitled “End of the Law for Child Protection Whistleblowers,” Heim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston had undergone transgender medical procedures for minors until May 2023.
“Even if they’re the craziest communists of all time, or even liberals, they wouldn’t want anyone to do this,” Heim said at the hearing. “This country should be falsely condemned and the full power of the federal government should not be overthrown.”
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House Judicial Democrat Grill Dr. Eisin Heim at a hearing over this week’s whistleblower account. (Fox News Digital/House Judiciary Committee)
At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Ruskin (D-Md.) questioned Heim’s lawyer Mark Rasle about the precedent behind the Heim case, drawing comparisons to a hypothetical scenario that included measles vaccination records.
“I know I’m in Texas and there’s a law requiring kids to get a measles vaccine and another doctor’s patient hasn’t been vaccinated,” Ruskin asked.
“Dr. Heim did not break into any of the systems,” replied Lytle. “He was allowed to see these records from the Texas Children’s Hospital, and the prosecutors knew that.”
“Did he allow the information to be made public?” asked Ruskin.
“Because he was a whistleblower and reported cheating,” Lytle said.
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Dr. Aitan Heim on the left and his defense counsel, Ryan Patrick, will speak to the media after attending an arrest hearing in Houston on June 17, 2024 (via Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle and Getty Images)
Ruskin asked Lytle to explain why Heim “did not comply with Texas laws and went to the Department of Human Services or another health authorities or law enforcement, and instead asked Lytle to “go to an ideological organization in the media.”
Lytle responded that Heim went to the Texas Attorney General’s office and the media, adding that “Congress prefers to go to the media for whistleblowers.”
R-Va. Rep. Ben Klein asked if the charges against him were “an case of the administration using weapons to intimidate you and other opponents.”
“Our judicial system must have certain standards, and people cannot bring these charges and power to court and send them to prison.
Klein also asked Lytle if the federal government would treat whistleblowers differently depending on who is in office.
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Whistleblower Dr. Aitan Heim said outside views at Texas Children’s Hospital have put transgender medical treatment on minors. (Jilcar Nicky/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
“This case is an example,” Lytle said. “It’s very rare for anyone to be charged with HIPAA for crimes [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] Violations include fees of up to 10 years. It’s really outrageous and the fact that he was accused of this way shows that the prosecutor was trying to get him. He was biased. ”
Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. threw further on Haim about releasing medical records and asked if the child and his family should be concerned about the release of personal information.
“When the children are mutilated and sterilized,” Heim said. He added that it does not contain personal information such as the patient’s name.
Heim, a surgeon who previously belonged to Texas Children’s Hospital, was charged last year with federal charges after allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors who received transgender medical procedures.
The Heim whistleblower report occurred during the transitional period in Texas’ policy regarding transgender treatment for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital announced that such services would be suspended for children in accordance with Governor Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate treatments such as potential child abuse. The hospital later reopened these services after deciding to comply with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14. It prohibits gender maintenance care for transgender minors in the state, and the law was in effect on September 1, 2024.
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DOJ prosecutors alleged that Haim had obtained these records in false pretenses and provided them to the media to violate HIPAA and harm the hospital’s reputation. Faced with a $250,000 fine in prison for up to 10 years, Heim pleaded not guilty, claiming that no personally identifiable information has been disclosed and that he is whining about “child abuse” at hospitals.
In January, the DOJ dismissed the case “on prejudice” and prevented future prosecution for the same reasons. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed an executive order “protecting children from chemical and surgical amputations” and suspended federal funds for minor gender trade procedures, including Medicaid compensation.
Jamie Joseph is a US political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering transgender and cultural issues, the departments of education, health and welfare, and state legislative development.
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