Caroline Kennedy calls on US lawmakers to oppose RFK Jr.'s health post

Caroline Kennedy, a subordinate of the famed U.S. governmental family, urged senators connected Tuesday to cull her relative Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s information to pb the apical U.S. wellness agency, calling him a "predator" and his healthcare views "dangerous."

The girl of erstwhile President John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known arsenic RFK Jr., has discouraged vaccinations for his ain profit. She added helium does not person the medical, fiscal oregon authorities acquisition to pb the Department of Health and Human Services. Republican President Donald Trump nominated him successful November.

A spokesperson for RFK Jr. did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Senators volition question RFK Jr. connected Wednesday starting astatine 10 a.m. astir his views earlier they ballot connected whether to corroborate his nomination.

The Washington Post archetypal reported the letter.

RFK Jr. has agelong sown doubts astir the information and efficacy of vaccines that person helped curb illness and forestall deaths for decades. He disputes the anti-vaccine characterization and has said helium would not forestall Americans from getting inoculations.

"Bobby has gone connected to misrepresent, prevarication and cheat his mode done beingness today," Caroline Kennedy said successful a video connected societal media level X, successful which she work her missive addressed to senators.

U.S. doctors, nurses, researchers, scientists and caregivers "deserve a caput committed to advancing cutting-edge medicine, to prevention lives, not to rejecting the advances we person already made," said Caroline Kennedy, a erstwhile ambassador to Australia and Japan who served during the Democratic Biden and Obama administrations. "They merit a stable, motivation and ethical idiosyncratic astatine the helm of this important agency."

In written grounds for the Finance committee, RFK Jr. said helium is not "anti-vaccine" oregon "anti-industry" and that helium believes "vaccines person a captious relation successful healthcare," pointing to his ain children being vaccinated, according to the papers seen by Reuters.

However, RFK Jr. has led the anti-vaccine radical Children's Health Defense and successful a 2023 interrogation with podcaster Lex Fridman said nary vaccines are harmless and effective.

RFK Jr. has said helium wants to enactment to extremity chronic disease, interruption immoderate ties betwixt employees astatine the U.S. cause regulator and manufacture and counsel U.S. h2o systems to region fluoride.

RFK Jr. has faced caller scrutiny implicit his ties to Wisner Baum, a instrumentality steadfast specializing successful pharmaceutical cause wounded cases.

He has an statement to gain 10% of fees awarded successful contingency cases helium refers to the firm, according to a missive RFK Jr. wrote to an HHS morals authoritative released past week.

If confirmed, RFK Jr. would clasp that fiscal involvement successful cases that bash not straight interaction the U.S. government, the missive said.