Much of the group — which includes former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, former CDC Director Robert Redfield, former Medicare chief Seema Verma and former White House Covid coordinator Deborah Birx — had fraught relationships with Azar, whose own accounts of the administration’s pandemic efforts have often diverged from theirs.

Azar feuded openly with Hahn and Redfield during the pandemic, and he fought with Verma throughout his tenure atop the health department. And as book writers, documentarians and former administration officials race to chronicle the cutthroat Trump era, they’re mounting a new effort to defend themselves…

In calls and text messages, members of the group have swapped notes, compared recollections and sent updates on media requests and interview opportunities, four people with knowledge of the matter said…

And in a nod to their individual battles with Azar, some have jokingly referred to the group in private as “AAA,” or Alex Azar Anonymous, according to a person in direct contact with multiple members. No one involved in the effort would confirm the name when reached for comment.