RFK Jr. vows to stop collecting from vaccine lawsuit if confirmed to Cabinet

WASHINGTON — 

Facing aggravated scrutiny from U.S. senators implicit his imaginable nett from vaccine lawsuits portion serving arsenic the nation's wellness secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that if helium is confirmed helium volition not cod fees from litigation against the drugmakers of a cervical crab vaccine.

Kennedy, who's President Donald Trump's prime to pb the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, told the Senate concern committee that helium would amend his morals disclosure aft respective senators, including Democrat Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and his relative Caroline Kennedy raised concerns astir his fiscal statement with the instrumentality steadfast representing patients who are claiming injuries from the vaccines.

"An amendment to my Ethics Agreement is successful process, and it provides that I volition divest my involvement successful this litigation," Kennedy said successful a written effect to the committee.

Initially, Kennedy had told the committee that helium would proceed to judge referral fees successful ineligible cases that don't impact the U.S. government. That included an statement with a instrumentality steadfast that's sued Merck implicit Gardasil, its quality papillomavirus vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. The woody earned Kennedy $850,000 past year, and helium told senators helium had referred hundreds of clients to the firm.

During Wednesday's hearing, Warren outlined respective ways successful which Kennedy could marque it easier to writer vaccine manufacturers.

"Kennedy tin termination disconnected entree to vaccines and marque millions of dollars portion helium does it," Warren said. "Kids mightiness die, but Robert Kennedy tin support cashing in."

The contented besides whitethorn person been a interest for Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who is besides a doc and is conflicted implicit his ballot connected Kennedy's confirmation due to the fact that of Kennedy's anti-vaccine views.

The Republican president's nominee is "financially vested successful uncovering responsibility with vaccines," Cassidy, the seat of the wellness committee, noted arsenic helium ended Thursday's confirmation hearing.

Kennedy besides stopped abbreviated of making different commitments, refusing to committedness that helium would not prosecute successful lobbying Health and Human Services aft his word ends.

Kennedy and his supporters person railed against that benignant of activity, saying the "revolving door" of Washington — wherever national officials commercialized nationalist work jobs to power authorities agencies portion successful the backstage assemblage — has undermined the U.S. nationalist wellness system. He has criticized the signifier astatine slightest a half-dozen times successful societal media posts implicit caller years.

Kennedy, who ran for president past twelvemonth earlier dropping his bid and endorsing Trump, vowed successful 1 station connected societal media level X to "rein successful lobbyists and slam unopen the revolving door," if elected president.

He archetypal challenged President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic statesmanlike information but past ran arsenic an autarkic earlier striking a woody to endorse Trump successful speech for a committedness to service successful a wellness argumentation relation during a 2nd Trump administration.

Now, aft 2 days of hearings, his changeable astatine that occupation is connected the enactment with concerns astir his anti-vaccine advocacy prompting astir each Democrats to cull his information and a fistful of Republicans who are astatine slightest considering doing the same.

If Democrats unanimously reason Kennedy, he'll request enactment from each but 3 Republicans. The Senate concern committee is expected to determine if helium makes it to the Senate level for a ballot adjacent week.

Kennedy's effect to the Senate committee was archetypal reported by The New York Times.