The man who hopes to be President Trump's Health secretary says he needs to see data showing vaccines are safe, but dismissed evidence shown by a Republican senator.

R obert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was grilled by Democratic senators during his confirmation hearing on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, who confronted him with conspiratorial and conflicting statements he has made about COVID-19.

The following first ran on CounterPunch at the height of the COVID pandemic in January of 2022. Are anti-vaccine propagandists really being censored?

Kennedy Jr. is revising his ethics agreement to divest his interest in litigation against an HPV vaccine maker and directing the stake to his adult son, The New York Times reported Friday, citing a written response to questions from senators who are weighing his confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary.

Citing unverified data, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed in December 2021 that the Covid-19 vaccine was the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” A few months prior, he petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to rescind authorization of the Covid-19 shots.

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) used his time at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Senate confirmation hearing to ask Kennedy about his past comments on COVID-19, AIDS and abortion among other subjects.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, concluded Thursday's hearing by saying he was "struggling" with the nomination due to Kennedy's vaccine positions. Kennedy notably refused to say vaccines don't cause autism as he faced pointed question from lawmakers.

US Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, grills Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his past comments on Covid, lyme disease and abortion during the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.