McConnell Warns RFK Jr. to ‘Steer Clear’ of His Top Aide’s ‘Dangerous’ Effort to Revoke Polio Vaccine

(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pulled no punches on Friday in sending a message to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over a recent report that Kennedy’s lawyer had petitioned the government to revoke the Polio vaccine.

McConnell himself suffered from Polio as a child, “which left a portion of his left leg paralyzed and saw him bullied by other kids,” according to a BBC profile of the long-serving GOP powerbroker.

The New York Times reported on Friday, “The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.” The Times added:

That campaign is just one front in the war that the lawyer, Aaron Siri, is waging against vaccines of all kinds.

Mr. Siri has also filed a petition seeking to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines; challenged, and in some cases quashed, Covid vaccine mandates around the country; sued federal agencies for the disclosure of records related to vaccine approvals; and subjected prominent vaccine scientists to grueling videotaped depositions.

McConnell responded to the story with an official statement, saying, “Like millions of families before them, my parents knew the pain and fear of watching their child struggle with the life-altering diagnosis of polio. From the age of two, normal life without paralysis was only possible for me because of the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love. But for millions who came after me, the real miracle was the saving power of the polio vaccine.” He added:

For decades, I have been proud to work with devoted advocates – from Rotary International to the Gates Foundation- and use my platform in public life to champion the pursuit of cures for further generations. I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress, and I will not today.

The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a terrible disease. Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed – they’re dangerous. Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.

The Times story led to a bevy of criticism of Kennedy. Hillary Clinton took to X and wrote, “I think Trump voters may be surprised to learn they voted to make polio great again.”

Kennedy has long been maligned for his wild conspiracy theories, including claims that chemicals in the water turn children trans, Russia had weaponized WiFi radiation to cause cancer, and that the U.S. worked to develop “ethnic bioweapons.” Kennedy, a former heroin addict and longtime vaccine skeptic, has been tasked by President-elect Donald Trump with making “America healthy again.”