RFK Jr. faces investigation into firing of vaccine experts in exchange for anti-vax activists
Washington DC - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing an investigation over his decision to replace 17 members of a key vaccine panel with "conspiracy theorists" and anti-vaxxers.
Democrats on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have launched an investigation into RFK Jr.'s decision to fire members of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel.
RFK Jr. in June fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with members loyal to his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.
ACIP's new lineup includes members such as Dr. Robert Malone, who was banned from X in 2021 for violating its Covid-19 misinformation policy, and a biostatistician who opposed lockdown measures.
"Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," RFK Jr. said in a statement defending his shakeup of ACIP.
Bernie Sanders accuses RFK Jr. of "spreading lies"
In a letter signed by eight senators and shared by Bernie Sanders, RFK Jr. is accused of handpicking candidates for ACIP to advance his "anti-vaccine agenda."
"ACIP plays an essential role in ensuring Americans have access to affordable vaccines," the letter reads. "You have put decades of non-partisan, science-backed work – and, as a result, Americans' lives – at risk."
The investigation requests that Kennedy provide information on his decision to fire and replace ACIP's members, as well as details on the decision to stop recommending Covid-19 vaccines to children and pregnant women.
"Secretary Kennedy has spread lies about safe and effective vaccines for decades," Sanders said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, since he was confirmed, Secretary Kennedy has doubled down on his disinformation campaign and war on science. This will lead to preventable illness and death."
Cover photo: AFP/Saul Loeb