RFK Jr. Has Said He Believes “There’s No Vaccine That Is Safe and Effective”
SHOT: RFK Jr. Claims He’s “All For The Polio Vaccine” After Decades Of Work Undermining Vaccine Access. “RFK Jr., Trump’s pick for HHS, arrives at Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and gain their support. As he made his way to Sen. Rick Scott’s office he was asked about the polio vaccine and he mumbled ‘I’m all for the polio vaccine.’” [Cristina Corujo (CBS News), X, 12/16/24]
CHASER: RFK Jr. Spread Conspiracy Theories That The Polio Vaccine “Cause[d] More Death Than It Avert[ed].” During a July 2023 interview with Lex Fridman, when asked about the polio vaccine, Kennedy launched into a conspiracy-laden tirade: “Well, here’s the problem. Here’s the problem. Yeah, here’s the problem. The polio vaccine contained a virus called simian virus 40. SV40. It’s one of the most carcinogenic materials that is known to man. In fact, it’s used now by scientists around the world to induce tumors and rats and Guinea pigs in labs. But it was in that vaccine, 98 million people who got that vaccine. And my generation got it. And now you’ve had this explosion of soft tissue cancers in our generation that killed many, many, many more people than polio ever did. […] If you say to me, ‘Did it cause more death than it averted?’ I would say, ‘I don’t know, because we don’t have the data on that.” Kennedy’s organization, Children’s Health Defense, also spread false reports calling into question the safety and necessity of polio vaccinations during a 2022 resurgence in the virus.
LIME: RFK Jr.’s Lawyer Petitioned the FDA To Revoke The Polio Vaccine. “The concerns have amped up in recent days following a report that an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a citizen petition in 2022 to revoke the approval of polio vaccines for infants and children. Attorney Aaron Siri has also joined Kennedy in questioning and choosing candidates for top health positions, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed source who witnessed the interactions.” [Axios, 12/16/24]