Calls have been made for the Department of Health and Human Services boss to resign after what he said
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been urged to resign after reiterating statement that has people questioning why he is health secretary.
During a House committee hearing at the US Capitol, the 71-year-old Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) chief was quizzed on his beliefs about vaccines – having made numerous claims about the harm vaccines can cause, which have been overwhelmingly debunked by experts in the field.
One of those claims were that vaccines cause autism, a theory that has been discredited.
Now, speaking during the hearing into his testimonies yesterday (May 14), Wisconsin Democrat Representative Mark Pocan asked: “Something that might be helpful is that you’ve previously said you’ve vaccinated your children – just because I think this is a helpful answer and this isn’t a ‘gotcha’ I promise – if you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?
Kennedy replied: “For measles, probably for measles.”
However, it is how he developed on the answer that has left people believing that America ‘is screwed’.
He continued: “What I would say is my opinion about vaccines are irrelevant, I have directed [Dr] Jay Bhattacharya to do the science so that everybody can make that decision.
“But I don’t want to be seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.
“I think if I answer that question directly it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people and I don’t want to be doing that, I want people to make up their own mind.”
Pocan replied: “But that’s kind of your jurisdiction because CDC [The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] does give advice.”
Despite heading up the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy has urged Americans not to take advice from him (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Kennedy went on to tell Pocan a further two more additional times that he doesn’t ‘want to give advice’, despite heading up the HHS.
Taking to Reddit, users were baffled at what they heard. One user wrote: “So then why the f*** are you Secretary of HHS?”
While another typed: “Then why the f*** have you been giving medical advice to parents about the ‘dangers’ of vaccines if you’re not qualified to give anyone medical advice?”
With a third writing: “Hey America, that was your health secretary speaking there. YOUR HEALTH SECRETARY! If you don’t get rid of these morons then you’re as stupid as he is.”
Meanwhile, a host of other users pushed for Kennedy to resign from his post.
“QUIT YOUR JOB PLEASE,” one person typed
A second added: “Then resign.”
With another urging: “If he truly believed that he’d resign from his position effective immediately.”
Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images