RFK Jr. Announces HHS Mission to End… Anti-Semitism?

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U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised eyebrows on Monday after he announced a Health Department mission to “end anti-semitic harassment on college campuses.”

“Anti-Semitism – like racism – is a spiritual and moral malady that sickens societies and kills people with lethalities comparable to history’s most deadly plagues,” wrote Kennedy in an announcement on Monday evening, adding:

In recent years, the censorship and false narratives of woke cancel culture have transformed our great universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent pestilence. Making America healthy means building communities of trust and mutual respect, based on speech freedom and open debate.

Kennedy then linked to a press release announcing a joint-effort by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the General Services Administration to “end anti-semitic harassment on college campuses,” beginning with a “comprehensive review of Columbia University’s federal contracts and grants in light of ongoing investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”

The announcement received criticism on social media, including from allies and supporters of the Trump administration, who argued that the Health Department’s involvement was clear overreach.

“THIS IS NOT HEALTH,” reacted commentator and Trump ally Mike Cernovich. “Calling everything you disagree with ‘public health’ was an Obama era tactic and risks overreach.”