Washington DC - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was accused of trying to "bully" a scientific journal after sending a letter demanding an answer to why it removed an anti-vax article.
"I sent this letter to the Editor-in-Chief of Toxicology Reports demanding a full explanation for the removal of a published article examining vaccines and sudden infant death," RFK Jr. wrote on X alongside the letter.
"Americans have a right to know why scientific papers are removed, who made those decisions, what evidence supported them, and whether the same standards are applied consistently," he said.
"We will restore trust in public health by insisting on transparency, accountability, and open scientific inquiry – not by asking the public to accept decisions behind closed doors."
The letter was immediately criticized by public health advocates, who said RFK Jr. was trying to intimidate the journal and influence its independent editorial process, which had ruled that the article was a risk to public health.
Toxicology Reports' Editor-in-Chief had determined, and explained in a statement, that the author had failed to address concerns the journal had about "potential research errors and methodological flaws."
As a result, Toxicology Reports found that the conclusions presented in the paper were "not supported by the methodology employed" and therefore it had to be removed for the public good.
"If he is trying to use his position to bully a journal, he is stepping close to violating their first amendment rights," said vaccine law expert Dorit Reiss on X in response to RFK Jr.'s letter.
"I thought [RFK Jr.] was pro-free speech," wrote David Gorski, a surgical oncologist, in a separate post. "To antivaxxers, it's free speech for me, but not for thee."