Kennedy Grilled by Senators Over Conspiracy Theories in Contentious Confirmation Hearing

During his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Democratic senators sharply criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for health secretary. Lawmakers accused Kennedy of concealing his anti-vaccine stance and promoting conspiracy theories, but Kennedy avoided giving clear answers to the senators' questions.

RFK Jr. Faces Senate Confirmation Hearings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by President Donald Trump for Secretary of Health and Human Services, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on January 29, 2025, for his confirmation hearing.

Kennedy’s nomination to lead America’s top health agency faced challenges. Over nearly eight hours of questioning across two sessions, Kennedy, who supported Trump’s 2024 “Make America Healthy Again” movement, faced scrutiny over his longstanding public record.

Known for questioning vaccine safety and effectiveness, Kennedy sought to calm senators' concerns, but skepticism from both Democrats and Republicans remained.

RFK Jr. Says He Is Not Anti-Vaccine, Despite His Record 

Senator Ron Wyden highlighted Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments on a 2023 podcast questioning vaccine safety, including his statement that “No vaccine is safe and effective.”

Kennedy said this remark was part of a larger conversation with podcast host Lex Fridman, during which Fridman asked him to name vaccines he considered beneficial. Kennedy claimed Fridman interrupted him before he could clarify his views, adding that while no vaccine is entirely “safe and effective,” some live virus vaccines likely prevent more problems than they cause.

At his confirmation hearing, Kennedy reiterated that he is not anti-vaccine but is “pro-safety.”

Despite ongoing studies disproving his claims, Kennedy consistently argues that vaccines cause autism and falsely asserts that childhood vaccines are not properly safety-tested.

In 2018, Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense, a legal advocacy group focused on promoting stories about children allegedly harmed by environmental toxins and vaccines. The group has supported and filed lawsuits challenging vaccination requirements and other public health issues.

Kennedy Alleges COVID-19 Targeted to Attack ‘Caucasians and Black People’

During his confirmation hearing, Senator Michael Bennet questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about a controversial statement he made regarding COVID-19, asking if he had ever claimed the virus was a “genetically engineered bioweapon” targeting Black and white people while sparing Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people. 

Kennedy denied saying it was deliberately targeted.

In a July 2023 dinner in New York City, Kennedy discussed bioweapons, stating, “There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”

While the origins of COVID-19 remain debated, there is no evidence to support the claim that the virus was intentionally engineered as an ethnic bioweapon. 

Research links most disparities in COVID-19 infection and mortality to social, economic, and health inequities rather than racial targeting.

Kennedy Claims Lyme Disease Is ‘Militarily Engineered Bioweapon’

During his confirmation hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged that he “probably did say” Lyme disease is “highly likely a militarily engineered bioweapon.”

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease is caused by bacteria and spreads through the bite of blacklegged ticks. There is no scientific evidence supporting claims that it was engineered as a bioweapon.

Senators Grill Kennedy Over CDC-Nazi Death Camp Comparison

Senator Raphael Warnock pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on past remarks comparing the CDC’s vaccine program to Nazi death camps. Kennedy denied making the comparison, saying, “I never said it.”

However, at a 2013 autism conference, Kennedy likened the CDC’s handling of childhood vaccines to the Holocaust when asked about autism rates, saying, “To me this is like Nazi death camps, what happened to these kids.” 

He also questioned why people would allow such harm, referencing ordinary Germans’ participation in the Holocaust.

Warnock also highlighted Kennedy’s 2019 comparison of the CDC to the Catholic Church’s child abuse scandal. 

Kennedy accused the agency of hiding vaccine risks, claiming, “The institution, CDC and the vaccine program, is more important than the children that it’s supposed to protect,” and likened it to the church’s cover-up of sexual abuse cases.

Kennedy Claims Pesticides Lead Children to Become Transgender  

Senator Michael Bennet questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about past comments linking pesticide exposure to transgender identity. When asked directly, Kennedy denied making the claim, stating, “No, I never said that.”

However, Kennedy has repeatedly prompted an unfounded conspiracy theory suggesting endocrine disruptors, including phthalates and pesticides, may influence sexual orientation or gender identity.

In a June 2022 episode of his podcast, Kennedy speculated about the effects of these chemicals, stating, “We're seeing these impacts that people suspect are very different than in ages past about sexual identification among children and sexual confusion, gender confusion.”

Over 15,000 Doctors Urge Senate to Reject RFK Jr. as Health Secretary

More than 15,000 doctors have signed a letter urging the Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine, and strengthening the integrity of our public health system,” the letter reads. “RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency — he is actively dangerous.”

The Committee to Protect Health Care, a physicians' advocacy group, posted the letter online. It criticizes Kennedy’s history of promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric and conspiracy theories, including false claims linking school shootings to antidepressants and his support for disproved COVID-19 treatments.

On Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin, also called on senators to reject his nomination, releasing a scathing letter.

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