A fiery exchange between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee nearly derailed Wednesday’s hearing, but President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expertly swatted away repeated questions about his past vaccine statements.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) was emotionally animated while grilling RFK on whether he was “lying to Congress” during his opening statement declaring himself “pro-vaccine” or if he was untruthful while appearing on numerous podcasts and raising questions about the efficacy and side effects of many vaccines in widespread use, including for Covid-19 variants and measles.
“We have all of this on tape, by the way,” warned the 75-year-old Democratic senator.
While others may have cowered under the white hot light and booming voice of Wyden, RFK pushed back with vigor.
“Senator, as you know that has been repeatedly debunked, that statement I made on the Lex Fridman podcast was a fragment of the statement,” RFK replied.
He continued: “Anybody who actually goes and looks at that podcast will see this: He asks me, ‘Are there vaccines that are safe and effective?’ And I said to him, ‘Some of the live virus vaccines are.’ And I said there are no vaccines that are safe and effective – and I was going to continue ‘for every person.’ Every medicine has people who are sensitive to them, including vaccines.”
In July of 2023, Kennedy joined Fridman, a computer scientist and podcaster, for an extended discussion about his beliefs on the efficacy of modern vaccines. While he was answering a question at the time, Kennedy explained on Wednesday, the host cut him off before he could finish his thought.
“I’ve corrected it many times, including on national TV. You know about this, Senator Wyden,” he accused. “Bringing this up right now is dishonest.”
Watch:
JUST IN: @RobertKennedyJr corrects Sen. Ron Wyden for spreading an incomplete thought he stated on Lex Fridman’s podcast about vaccine safety
“I’ve corrected it many times, including on national TV. You know about this, Senator Wyden. So bringing this up right now is dishonest” pic.twitter.com/Hbpmx7tQUQ
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 29, 2025
Jumping into the fray was Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), who accused RFK of once claiming that COVID-19 was a “genetically engineered bioweapon” to target specific ethnic populations. Once again, the Democratic nominee was ready with a retort.
“I just quoted an NIH-funded and NIH-published study,” Kennedy said in defense of his past statement.
Watch:
‘Did you say exposure to pesticides causes children to become transgender?’
Donald Trump’s pick for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is grilled by Democrat senator Michael Bennet during his confirmation hearing over controversial statements he has made in the past. pic.twitter.com/C3ClS9ErtI
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 29, 2025
At the start of the hearing, Kennedy sought to position himself as “pro-vaccine,” telling members of the committee that he doesn’t plan to “take anyone’s vaccines away” if confirmed. Many of his past controversial statements, he went on, related to his tendency to ask “tough questions” of the medical community, including whether pharmaceutical companies have done enough to disclose adverse events among small populations seeking treatment.
“In my advocacy, I have disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I won’t apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly,” he added.
Even if Kennedy is not approved by the 27-member Finance Committee, Trump administration officials are expected to push Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to forge ahead with a full vote on his nomination. All Republicans on the committee appear to be standing behind Kennedy, with the exception of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician who has expressed mild concern over some of Kennedy’s past statements.