Protestor escorted out of RFK Jr. confirmation hearing
A protestor was escorted out of the HHS Secretary confirmation hearing for Robert Francis Kennedy Jr.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is seeking the support of the Republican-controlled Senate in his bid to become the nation’s top health official.
On Wednesday, his confirmation hearings are scheduled before the Senate Finance Committee, followed by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday.
Here’s everything to know about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his views on public health.
RFK on vaccines
What we know:
Kennedy has been clear about his beliefs on vaccines in dozens of interviews, podcasts and social media posts.
Most recently, Kennedy says he’s not anti-vaccine and promising not to “take away” the shots.
But he once said there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and repeatedly called for further study of routine childhood vaccinations, despite decades of research and real-world use that proves they’ve safely prevented disease.
Even, Health committee chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has expressed concerns about Kennedy’s anti-vaccine work.
Cassidy said earlier this month he “had a frank conversation” and “spoke about vaccines at length” with Kennedy.
“I’m still working through it,” Cassidy said during a press availability with Louisiana reporters on Tuesday.
Who is Caroline Kennedy?
The backstory:
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is the daughter of Jacqueline and President John F. Kennedy.
In a letter to Senators, Caroline Kennedy, who previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Australia and Japan, detailed a disastrous sketch of her cousin.
According to the Associated Press, several denounced her cousin’s bid for the presidency last year. The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, was first reported by The Washington Post.
Kennedy said in the letter that her cousin’s views on vaccines are disqualifying. She offered senators personal details from their lives growing up together that she said pose an even greater concern.
She also described her cousin’s basement, garage and dorm as being an epicenter for drug use, where she accuses him of hosting drug-fueled gatherings in his basement, dorm and garage where he “enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks.”
“It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence,” she wrote. She also read the letter in a video recording, sharing it on social media. Attempts to reach Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for comment were not immediately successful.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
