{"id":1051161,"date":"2025-02-04T17:27:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T22:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1051161"},"modified":"2025-02-04T17:27:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T22:27:50","slug":"senate-republicans-advance-dangerous-anti-vaxx-conspiracy-theorist-rfk-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/senate-republicans-advance-dangerous-anti-vaxx-conspiracy-theorist-rfk-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Republicans Advance Dangerous Anti-Vaxx Conspiracy Theorist RFK Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In response to Senate Republicans voting to advance RFK Jr.\u2019s nomination to lead HHS, <\/em>DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRFK Jr. couldn\u2019t even answer how Medicare works in his own confirmation hearing \u2013 seriously, look it up \u2013 but Donald Trump wants him to lead America\u2019s health care system for millions upon millions of kids, families, and seniors. This guy is dangerous. Just look at his history. He\u2019s promoted conspiracy theories about 9\/11, spread health misinformation that\u2019s put lives at risk, and doesn\u2019t even deny allegations of bad behavior and abuse. Trump and RFK Jr. are cut from the same cloth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Senate Republicans voted to advance conspiracy theorist and misinformation propagandist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank Thorp, NBC News<\/a>: \u201cNEWS: Senate Finance Committee votes along party lines, 14-13<\/strong>, to report RFK Jr’s nomination to be HHS Secretary favorably to the full Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr. is a dangerous anti-vaxxer who thinks no vaccine is safe and effective, and opposes requirements for polio and MMR vaccines.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother Jones<\/a>: \u201cIn July 2023, at the invitation of House Republicans, he appeared at a congressional hearing and declared, \u2018I have never been anti-vax. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.\u2019 Yet that same month, during a podcast interview, he asserted, \u2018There\u2019s no vaccine that is safe and effective.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>:  \u201cHe has an unenviable history of anti-vaccine advocacy, including peddling debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and leading an anti-vaccine group.<\/strong> He claims he is not opposed to vaccines, though that\u2019s hard to square with his recent comments that \u2018there\u2019s no vaccine that is safe and effective\u2019 and \u2018I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby, and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.\u2019\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Times<\/a>: \u201cChildren\u2019s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization Kennedy founded and chairs, last week platformed a fatuously inaccurate 2013 book claiming that polio isn’t caused by a virus and that the polio vaccine \u2018doesn’t work.\u2019<\/strong> The book was conclusively debunked long ago. But last Tuesday, the organization published an interview with its co-author Suzanne Humphries, in which she repeated her claim that polio is caused by toxins, not the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FactCheck.org<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cAt the time, Fridman pushed Kennedy on the issue, noting that those were \u2018big words\u2019 \u2014 and asked about the polio vaccine. Kennedy then misleadingly suggested that the polio vaccines given to his generation caused cancer \u2014 despite a lack of evidence that this is true.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NPR<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion with the famous last name who’s running as an independent for president, is also infamous for his stances against vaccines. Vaccines are safe and effective and have been credited with stopping the spread of diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, polio and global pandemics. Despite the solid evidence, people like RFK Jr. \u2014 with no expertise and who refuse to listen to experts \u2014 have spread disinformation about them, playing on false conspiracy theories.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cAsked if he would recommend that parents give their children the MMR vaccine amid an uptick in measles in the U.S., Kennedy declined to answer. \u2018I\u2019m not gonna\u2014,\u2019 he said, and walked away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr. contributed to one of the deadliest measles outbreaks in recent history in Samoa.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philadelphia Inquirer<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cIn 2019, Kennedy flew to Samoa, met with government officials and, along with other like-minded advocates, \u2018flooded the area with misinformation\u2019 about vaccines, according to FactCheck.org. Vaccinations were temporarily halted, 5,600 people contracted measles, and 83 children died.  FactCheck.org concluded: \u2018Kennedy … played a part in one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory.\u2019\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Times Editorial Board<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cBut the fearmongering on social media landed a hook in Samoan parents, who now had an example of real risk to their children that seemed to outweigh the abstract threat of a disease that had virtually been eradicated from the developed world over the last generation. \u2026 This is a stark and sad illustration of what can happen when the agents of fear and misinformation (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we are looking at you) convince caring parents to shun childhood vaccinations.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like Trump, RFK Jr. supports a national abortion ban, which would rip away women\u2019s reproductive freedoms and deny critical health care.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico<\/a>: \u201cSpeaking to NBC from the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said, \u2018I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life\u2019 \u2026 He said he would sign a federal ban on abortion<\/strong> after 15 weeks or 21 weeks of pregnancy if he were elected president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: \u201cA leading conservative anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony List, praised Kennedy\u2019s position in a statement.\u201d<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cTrump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr.\u2019s conspiracy theories include casting doubt upon the official government explanation of the September 11 terrorist attacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: \u201cIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on social media Friday that it\u2019s \u2018hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn\u2019t\u2019 when it comes to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.<\/strong>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cIn a new interview on the podcast In the Room With Peter Bergen, produced by Fresh Produce Media for Audible, Kennedy told Bergen he didn\u2019t know whether or not he believes the official government explanation about 9\/11, including whether al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack, asserting \u2018strange things happened.\u2019\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin American-Statesman<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cThe post was an apparent reference to Kennedy saying on a podcast last year that he had doubts about the official account of the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, including whether al-Qaida bore responsibility. In the podcast, Kennedy said he was not a 9\/11 expert, nor perhaps the best person to comment on the attacks. But, he added, \u2018I don\u2019t always accept official explanations.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr. has refused to disclose basic medical information, including the fact that he once had a parasitic brain worm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Times<\/a>: \u201cAbout the same time he learned of the parasite, he said, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues<\/strong> \u2026 Mr. Kennedy said he was then subsisting on a diet heavy on predatory fish, notably tuna and perch, both known to have elevated mercury levels. In the interview with The Times, he said that he had experienced \u2018severe brain fog\u2019 <\/strong>and had trouble retrieving words. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has railed against the dangers of mercury contamination in fish from coal-fired power plants, had his blood tested \u2026 He also underwent chelation therapy, a treatment that binds to metals in the body so they can be expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cKennedy Cover-Up: Failing To Disclose A Brain-Eating Worm And Other Problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr. has not denied allegations of sexual assault, instead saying that he\u2019s \u201cnot a church boy.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mediaite<\/a>: \u201cA woman who worked with the anti-vaccine nonprofit run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused him of sexual misconduct and was paid a nearly $1 million settlement as part of a nondisclosure agreement in late 2020.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to an accusation that he sexually assaulted a family babysitter at his home by brushing off the incident, asserting that he is not a \u2018church boy\u2019 and had a \u2018very rambunctious youth.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston Globe<\/a>: \u201cA devastating and detailed report by Vanity Fair last week \u2014 including a credible allegation of sexual assault against Kennedy \u2014 provided a fresh setback to the already ailing campaign. Asked if other women might come forward with similar allegations he said, \u2018I don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll see what happens.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to Senate Republicans voting to advance RFK Jr.\u2019s nomination to lead HHS, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: \u201cRFK Jr. couldn\u2019t even answer how Medicare works in his own confirmation hearing \u2013 seriously, look it up \u2013 but Donald Trump wants him to lead America\u2019s health care system for millions upon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1051161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSenate Republicans Advance Dangerous Anti-Vaxx Conspiracy Theorist RFK Jr. - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/senate-republicans-advance-dangerous-anti-vaxx-conspiracy-theorist-rfk-jr\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-04T22:27:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/senate-republicans-advance-dangerous-anti-vaxx-conspiracy-theorist-rfk-jr\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/senate-republicans-advance-dangerous-anti-vaxx-conspiracy-theorist-rfk-jr\/\",\"name\":\"Senate Republicans Advance Dangerous Anti-Vaxx Conspiracy Theorist RFK Jr. - 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