Donald Trump’s US Health department nominee, Robert F Kennedy Junior, was given a tough time over his past comments at his Senate confirmation hearing today, ITV News’ US Correspondent Dan Rivers reports
Robert F Kennedy Jr has denied he is anti-vaccine after coming under intense scrutiny from Senators during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday to become President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary.
Previously, Kennedy voiced controversial views around health and vaccines, stating that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and promoting the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism in children and that they are widely unsafe.
During his opening statement, he was heckled when explaining that while news reports claimed he his both anti-vaccine and anti-industry, he is “neither”.
“News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety.
“I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish, but that didn’t make me anti-fish.
“All of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in healthcare,” he said.
During his opening statement, RFK Jr said he is not anti-vaccine or anti-industry
However, Democratic Senator Wyden warned Kennedy’s embrace of “conspiracy theories” on vaccines make him unsuitable for the nation’s top health position.
Senator Wyden said: “He has made it his life’s work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life saving vaccines.”
In further remarks, Wyden warned of the consequences of Kennedy’s proposal to “freeze” federal research on infectious diseases for eight years.
“I’ve reached the conclusion that he should not be entrusted with the health of the American people,” Wyden said.
Senator Bennet also questioned Kennedy on a number of controversial statements.
Reading from podcast transcripts and his own writings, Senator Bennet asked Kennedy about his prior statement that COVID-19 was engineered to target white and Black people while sparing Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.
Senator Ron Wyden said: “Mr Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories”
Kennedy responded that he was citing federal research.
Bennet also asked Kennedy about a claim that Lyme disease is “likely a militarily engineered bioweapon.”
“I probably did say that,” Kennedy responded.
Kennedy was also questioned on his shifting views on abortion, where he said he supports President Trump’s stance that “every abortion is a tragedy”.
In previous statements, he said abortion should be left up to the pregnant woman, not the government.
On Tuesday, Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, urged the Senate to reject RFK’s Jr nomination, labelling him a “predator”.
She said he “preys on the desperation of parents of sick children,” stating that he’s vaccinated his own children while discouraging others from vaccinating theirs.
Kennedy said she felt obligated to speak out and read aloud a letter sent to senators detailing the troubling behaviour from her cousin that she witnessed over the years, accusing him of having hypocritical views on vaccines and being “addicted to attention and power”.
If confirmed as Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy would command a budget of more than $1 trillion to regulate food and drugs, approve and recommend vaccines, and manage the health insurance programmes that provide coverage to millions of Americans.
He would oversee more than a dozen federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the CDC.
In the past, Kennedy faced backlash from both ends of the political spectrum over comments comparing Covid-19 pandemic mandates to Nazi Germany and apartheid laws in South Africa.
Kennedy has also suggested that human-made chemicals in water systems could turn children gay or transgender.
He has long peddled AIDS denialism conspiracy theories, alleging that HIV does not cause AIDS and questioning the “theology that HIV is the sole cause of AIDS”.
As a member of the famed Kennedy political dynasty, Robert Kennedy Jr built his career as a progressive lawyer taking on pharmaceutical companies and environmental safety causes.
He later founded the nonprofit Children’s Health Defence, known for spreading anti-vaccine misinformation.
After he ran for president as a Democrat-turned-independent last year, Kennedy rebranded himself as Trump supporter seeking to “Make America Healthy Again”.
Trump rewarded Kennedy by nominating him to become part of his cabinet as the Health and Human Services secretary.
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