Back

In a copy of a letter…sent to lawmakers ahead of #RFKJr’s confirmation hearings to lead the Dept of #Health & #Human Services, the fmr ambassador to Australia alleges that her cousin, “addicted to #attention & #power,” has given #hypocritical advice by discouraging parents from vaccinating their children while vaccinating his own children. She alleged that his “crusade against #vaccination” has also served to enrich him.

“I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” wrote #Kennedy. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a #predator.”

#CarolineKennedy goes on to say in her letter that through “the strength of his personality,” other family members followed #RFKJr “down the path of drug #addiction.”

“His basement, his garage, his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, & he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens & mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a #perverse scene of #despair & #violence.”

She commended #RFKJr for “pulling himself out of illness & disease” but lamented “siblings & cousins who Bobby ENCOURAGED down the path of #SubstanceAbuse suffered #addiction, #illness, & #death…

…In Tuesday’s letter, she cited a NYT report that #RFKJr would keep his #financial stake in litigation against a manufacturer of a #vaccine that protects against… #HPV. The vaccine, which is administered to adolescents, can prevent cervical #cancer.

“In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer & which has been safely administered to millions of boys & girls,” #CarolineKennedy wrote.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/politics/rfk-hpv-vaccine-merck.html

From the NYT report:

#RFKJr, #Trump’s pick to be #health secretary, is keeping his financial stake in major litigation against Merck over a widely used #vaccine given to young people, according to an #ethics agreement made public on Wednesday & court docs. That #ConflictOfInterest could raise questions for lawmakers as RFK Jr aims to run agencies that regulate the drugmaker.

The #ethics doc said #RFKJr would continue to collect fees for cases in which he referred clients to Wisner Baum, a law firm suing Merck over Gardasil, a #vaccine that protects against the human papillomavirus, or #HPV. The vaccine is administered to adolescents to prevent cervical & other #cancers later in life.

The arrangement w/Wisner Baum, which also includes other matters, has earned #RFKJr, one of the nation’s fiercest #vaccine critics, >$2.5M in the past 2 years, acc/to records filed w/federal election ofcls for his presidential run & the agreement, approved by the Office of Govt #Ethics as part of the confirmation process. That sum is far higher than about $200,000, the latest salary figure for the #Health & Human Services secretary….

…Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said #RFKJr’s finances showed “outrageous conflicts of interest that endanger #PublicHealth.”

“This disclosure shows that RFK Jr. made millions off of peddling dangerous #AntiVaccine #conspiracies,” she said in a statement. “Even worse, if he is confirmed, his finances will still be tied to the outcomes of anti-#vaccine lawsuits — even as he’d be tasked with regulating them as #health secretary.”

Two #ethics experts who reviewed the agreement said his stake in the lawsuits appeared to be highly problematic, as the #FDA, which approves #drugs & #vaccines, would fall within #RFKJr’s purview as #health secretary. The experts said any action Kennedy took related to Merck, one of the world’s largest drugmakers, could appear to be motivated by his financial interest in a handsome settlement.

A group of protesters opposed to #RFKJr's nomination gathered near Union Station in Washington as he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

They have T-shirts with the slogan “Make Polio Great Again Robert F. Kennedy Jr for HHS Secretary”

Senator #RonWyden, Democrat of Oregon & the top Democrat on the panel, goes directly at #RFKJr in his opening remarks. The question, he said, is “whether Robert F. Kennedy should be trusted with the health & well-being of the American people.” He said Kennedy has embraced “#ConspiracyTheories, #quacks, #charlatans,” saying that is especially true concerning the safety & efficacy of #vaccines.

Senator #RonWyden brings up #RFKJr’s 2023 remark about pausing #infectious #disease #research for EIGHT YEARS, calling it”gobsmacking.” He also raises the specter of a #NationalAbortionBan should Kennedy decide to limit or bar access to the #abortion pill, #mifepristone.

Senator Wyden underscored Kennedy’s shifting positions, saying “When he’s taken every side of every issue, how can the American people believe that he has anything to say?”

One Democrat to watch: Sen. #SheldonWhitehouse (D-Rhode Island), an old friend & roommate of #RFKJr [makes you wonder if he saw the blender]. There’s been some speculation that Whitehouse will support Kennedy, particularly because he hasn’t denounced him. Whitehouse told reporters this week that “people just need to kind of chill” about his potential vote, saying that he has never telegraphed a vote before a hearing.

Sen #RonWyden accused #RFKJr of being hypocritical, saying he is fond of saying he’s not making “recommendations” about whether parents should #vaccinate their #children, but “just asking questions” & giving people choices.

“It’s a slippery tactic to dodge any real responsibility for his words & actions, & it’s absurd coming from somebody who’s trying to win confirmation for a job that is entirely about making recommendations,” Wyden said in his opening statement.

#RFKJr says in his opening statement, “news reports complain that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry I am neither.” The hearing is briefly disrupted as a woman shouts, “He lies!” before she was forcibly removed from the room by a police officer.

Kennedy began his remarks by saying Americans’ overall #health is in “grievous condition” & worse than that of any other developed nation. He is emphasizing #ChronicIllness.

#RFKJr told the panel that he is not #AntiVaccine, saying all of his children are vaccinated. This was actually a point that his cousin, #CarolineKennedy, raised in her letter opposing his confirmation yesterday — she described him as a “#hypocrite” for vaccinating his children while at the same time profiting from amplifying fears about #vaccines in many parents.

Sen #RonWyden entered Caroline Kennedy’s letter in its entirety into the record.

#RFKJr sought to pre-empt criticism of his #vaccine views, insisting he is not #AntiVaccine. An extensive review of Kennedy’s public comments by The Washington Post found he repeatedly disparaged #vaccines & falsely linked them to autism. He founded Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group.

#law #USpol #PublicHealth

#GiftArticle:
https://wapo.st/42zOOkt

Another protester — masked & holding a sign saying “#Vaccines save lives” — interrupted #RFKJr. “Senator, listen to me!” she yelled before being removed. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) warned that if there are further disruptions, the hearing will be paused until Capitol Police can restore order. The woman could still be heard shouting in the hallways.

If a Democrat president had nominated a recovering heroin addict no matter how long they’d been in recovery, no freaking way would they have even gotten this far. Just crazy.

[had to take a break to walk the dog]

#Republicans are full on lying in their question setups. They laid the victims of Trump’s #FamilySeparation policy at Biden’s feet ffs. Outrageous.

I do agree with #RFKJr’s characterization of #Medicaid. It SUCKS. The premiums are high, most doctors do not accept it. Most drugs aren’t covered by it. The problem is there isn’t another option for the poor of the United States. Until they present a practical alternative, they cannot cut it. Period.

Good to hear Sen #SheldonWhitehouse expressing no confidence in #RFKJr’s suitability for this position.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to his old roommate: “Frankly, you frighten people.”

Sen #SheldonWhitehouse, whose state recently had a #measles outbreak, asked #RFKJr to “never say #vaccines aren’t medically safe when they in fact are,” & to make it “indisputably clear” that he supports childhood #vaccine mandates. RFKJr now says he is for vaccines but against mandates, but #PublicHealth experts say mandatory #vaccination is crucial to prevent outbreaks.

@huntingdon @Nonilex there used to be but that time is long past now

@su_liam @Nonilex

Depends on the statute of limitations and who Americans vote into the Oval Office in 2028.

@rejinl

I briefly went on it in Michigan. None of my doctors accepted it. And it didn’t cover any of my meds.

@RegGuy It’s hard to pick just one, but yeah. @Nonilex

@FinchHaven @Nonilex
Pretty sure the brain worms have something to do with that.