‘I Asked You a Simple Question, Bobby!’ Bernie Sanders Lays Into RFK Jr. at Hearing for Refusing to Say ‘Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) laid into Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a Thursday Senate hearing after Kennedy said he would assure people that certain vaccines “do not cause autism” after he’s seen the data.
Kennedy, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, went through his second Senate hearing on Thursday after a first round including plenty of heated exchanges over his vaccine skepticism and more. On Thursday, Sanders flagged an exchange between Kennedy and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) just moments before.
Cassidy, a physician, flat-out asked Kennedy, based on his past statements on vaccines, whether he would “assure” parents that vaccines for measles and hepatitis B “do not cause autism.”
“Senator, I am not going into the agency with any pre—” Kennedy began before Cassidy pushed for a clear answer.
“That’s kind of a yes or no question because the data is there,” the senator said.
“If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,” Kennedy responded.
“I know the data’s there,” Cassidy said, citing his own experience in medicine.
“Well, then I will be the first person — if you show me data, I will be the first person to assure the American people that they need to take those vaccines,” Kennedy said, adding he would also “apologize” for any past statements he may have made that led people to think otherwise.
Sanders kicked off his questions for Kennedy by following up on Cassidy’s question and highlighting that Kennedy refused to actually say data shows those vaccines do not cause autism.
Check out the exchange below:
BERNIE SANDERS: “There have been, as I understand it, dozens of studies done all over the world that make it very clear that vaccines do not cause autism. Now, you just said, if I heard correctly, well, if the evidence is there. The evidence is there! That’s it. Vaccines do not cause autism. Do you agree with that?”
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: “As I said, I’m not going to go into HHS with any preordained—”
SANDERS: “I asked you a simple question, Bobby!”
KENNEDY: “Senator, if you show me those studies, I will absolutely — as I promised to Chairman Cassidy, I will apologize.”
SANDERS: “That is a very troubling response because the studies are there. Your job was to have looked at those studies as an applicant for thise job.”
Watch above via CSPAN.
