‘You’re Making Me Sound Like A Shill!’ RFK Jr. Snaps at Elizabeth Warren in Fiery Hearing Clash

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) got into a heated clash during his confirmation hearing to be the next Health and Human Services secretary.

President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominee to lead the health department joined Senate lawmaker on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning where he faced questioning regarding his anti-vaccine rhetoric and potential conflicts of interest.

The Massachusetts senator demanded to know if Kennedy would commit to avoiding conflicts of interest by refusing to accept money from drug companies as HHS secretary and declining to profit off drug companies during litigation cases four years after leaving the job. Warren explained during her questioning that Kennedy has made millions from law firms by encouraging people to join lawsuits against drug companies and vaccine manufacturers.

RFK Jr. responded by refusing to commit to the latter and claimed Warren was making him “sound like a shill.”

WARREN: So, Mr. Kennedy, will you also agree that you won’t take any compensation from any lawsuits against drug companies while you are secretary and for four years afterwards?

KENNEDY: Well, I’ll certainly commit to that while I’m secretary, but I do want to clarify something because you’re making me sound like a shill! I did a Science Day presentation to the judge on that case to get it into court-

WARREN: Mr. Kennedy, it’s just a really simple question. You’ve taken in $2.5 million. I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won’t go to work suing the drug companies and taking your rake out of that while you’re secretary and for four years after.

KENNEDY: I’ll commit to not taking any fees from drug companies while I am secretary.

WARREN: I’m asking about fees from suing drug companies. Will you agree not to do that?

KENNEDY: You’re asking me to not sue drug companies and I’m not going to agree to that senator!

WARREN: No! You can sue drug companies as much as you want!

KENNEDY: I am not going to agree to not sue drug companies or anybody.

WARREN: So let’s do a quick count here of how, as secretary of HHS, if you get confirmed, you can influence every one of those lawsuits. Well, let me start the list. You can publish your anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on U.S. government letterhead, something a jury might be impressed by.

KENNEDY: I don’t understand that!

WARREN: You can appoint people to the CDC vaccine panel who share your anti-vax views and let them do your dirty work. You can tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccine schedule. You could remove vaccines from special compensation programs, which would open up manufacturers to mass torts. You could make more injuries eligible for compensation, even if there is no causal evidence. You could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits. You could turn over FDA data to your friends at the law firm and they could use it however it benefited them. You could change vaccine labeling. You could change vaccine information rules. You can change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program. There’s a lot of ways that you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you are secretary of HHS. And I’m asking you to commit right now that you will not take a financial stake in every one of those lawsuits so that what you do as secretary will also benefit you financially down the line.
KENNEDY: I’ll comply with all the ethical guidelines.

WARREN: That’s not the question.

KENNEDY: Senator, you’re asking me not to sue vaccine and pharmaceutical companies!

WARREN: No I am not! My question is-

KENNEDY: Yeah you are. That’s exactly what you are doing!

Watch the clip above via Fox News.