In a copy of a letter…sent to lawmakers ahead of #RFKJr’s confirmation hearings to lead the Dept of #Health & #Human Services, the fmr ambassador to Australia alleges that her cousin, “addicted to #attention & #power,” has given #hypocritical advice by discouraging parents from vaccinating their children while vaccinating his own children. She alleged that his “crusade against #vaccination” has also served to enrich him.

#USpol #plutocracy #PublicHealth #NationalSecurity #law #health #science

“I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” wrote #Kennedy. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a #predator.”

#CarolineKennedy goes on to say in her letter that through “the strength of his personality,” other family members followed #RFKJr “down the path of drug #addiction.”

#USpol #plutocracy #CultOfPersonality #PublicHealth #NationalSecurity #Trump #law #healthcare #vaccines #food #drugs #medicine #science #ConspiracyTheories

“His basement, his garage, his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, & he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens & mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a #perverse scene of #despair & #violence.”

She commended #RFKJr for “pulling himself out of illness & disease” but lamented “siblings & cousins who Bobby ENCOURAGED down the path of #SubstanceAbuse suffered #addiction, #illness, & #death…

#USpol #PublicHealth #NationalSecurity #Trump

“while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, #lie, & #cheat his way through life,” #Kennedy said of #RFKJr.

#CarolineKennedy has been reticent to publicly comment on her cousin’s politics, & told senators Tuesday that she only reluctantly is speaking up now.

“I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members & their challenges,” she wrote.

#USpol #plutocracy #CultOfPersonality #PublicHealth #NationalSecurity #Trump #law #healthcare #vaccines #medicine #science #ConspiracyTheories

…In Tuesday’s letter, she cited a NYT report that #RFKJr would keep his #financial stake in litigation against a manufacturer of a #vaccine that protects against… #HPV. The vaccine, which is administered to adolescents, can prevent cervical #cancer.

“In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer & which has been safely administered to millions of boys & girls,” #CarolineKennedy wrote.

nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/poli…

R.F.K. Jr. Would Keep Stake in HPV Vaccine Suit if Confirmed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to be health secretary, would have oversight power over the vaccine’s maker, Merck, if confirmed.

^{Christina Jewett (The New York Times)}

From the NYT report:

#RFKJr, #Trump’s pick to be #health secretary, is keeping his financial stake in major litigation against Merck over a widely used #vaccine given to young people, according to an #ethics agreement made public on Wednesday & court docs. That #ConflictOfInterest could raise questions for lawmakers as RFK Jr aims to run agencies that regulate the drugmaker.

#law #USpol #PublicHealth

The #ethics doc said #RFKJr would continue to collect fees for cases in which he referred clients to Wisner Baum, a law firm suing Merck over Gardasil, a #vaccine that protects against the human papillomavirus, or #HPV. The vaccine is administered to adolescents to prevent cervical & other #cancers later in life.

#law #USpol #PublicHealth

The arrangement w/Wisner Baum, which also includes other matters, has earned #RFKJr, one of the nation’s fiercest #vaccine critics, >$2.5M in the past 2 years, acc/to records filed w/federal election ofcls for his presidential run & the agreement, approved by the Office of Govt #Ethics as part of the confirmation process. That sum is far higher than about $200,000, the latest salary figure for the #Health & Human Services secretary….

#law #USpol #PublicHealth

…Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said #RFKJr’s finances showed “outrageous conflicts of interest that endanger #PublicHealth.”

“This disclosure shows that RFK Jr. made millions off of peddling dangerous #AntiVaccine #conspiracies,” she said in a statement. “Even worse, if he is confirmed, his finances will still be tied to the outcomes of anti-#vaccine lawsuits — even as he’d be tasked with regulating them as #health secretary.”

#law #USpol

Two #ethics experts who reviewed the agreement said his stake in the lawsuits appeared to be highly problematic, as the #FDA, which approves #drugs & #vaccines, would fall within #RFKJr’s purview as #health secretary. The experts said any action Kennedy took related to Merck, one of the world’s largest drugmakers, could appear to be motivated by his financial interest in a handsome settlement.

#law #USpol #PublicHealth

A group of protesters opposed to #RFKJr's nomination gathered near Union Station in Washington as he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

They have T-shirts with the slogan “Make Polio Great Again Robert F. Kennedy Jr for HHS Secretary”