In a chaotic Senate hearing, RFK Jr. insists that some of his best friends are vaccines
In a chaotic Senate hearing, RFK Jr. insists that some of his best friends are vaccines
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At his confirmation hearing, Robert F Kennedy Jr. was haunted by dozens of hours of podcast appearances from his time on the fringes of health science, Richard Hall writes. RFK Jr. arrived in the hearing room on Wednesday to cheers of “We love you Bobby!” from his applauding fans in the bleachers, with his long-suffering wife Cheryl Hines alongside him, and his children in tow.
![[A protester interrupts the confirmation hearing of Robert F Kennedy.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/29/16/45/Robert-F--Kennedy-Jr--testifies-before-a-Senate-Finance-Committee-confirmation-hearing-in-Washington.jpeg)
Before long, the proceedings descended into a series of verbal brawls. There were interruptions by protesters, a fight about baby onesies, and a forensic search for the authentic views of a man who has operated on the fringes of health science for most of his life.
![[US Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines depart at the conclusion of the inauguration ceremony where President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/08/2194420627.jpg)
Senator Ron Wyden began by telling RFK Jr. that the committee had examined “thousands of pages statements, books, and podcast transcripts” of his words and that “the receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.”.
“He has made it his life's work to sow doubt and to discourage parents from getting their kids lifesaving vaccines. It has been lucrative for him,” Wyden added. But Kennedy instead insisted that was untrue — his own children were vaccinated!. “News reports have claimed I am anti-vaccine and anti-industry. I am neither,” RFK Jr said in his opening remarks.
“You lie!” a protester shouted, before being escorted out of the room. “I am pro-safety,” Kennedy continued, following the interruption. “I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish, and nobody called me anti-fish.”.
