"Political theater": Trump officials dismiss RFK's Senate grilling
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Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. testifies before Congress. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty.
Top MAGA world officials rushed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s defense after Congressional Republicans and Democrats grilled the health secretary during a senate hearing for his anti-vaccine views.
Why it matters: After days of Republican leaders questioning Kennedy's leadership following his massive shakeup at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump White House officials are signaling that Kennedy isn't going anywhere.
What they're saying: "Today's hearing showed exactly why President Trump put Secretary Kennedy in charge of HHS: to fix this broken system that has overseen America's unprecedented chronic disease crisis," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in an emailed statement.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X Kennedy was "taking flak" for "championing gold-standard science" before accusing Democrats of attacking his "commonsense effort."
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator and former reality tv personality Dr. Mehmet Oz told Fox News the entire hearing was "political theater."
- Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on X that the senators were "full of sh*t and everyone knows it."
Driving the news: Kennedy faced bipartisan criticism at Thursday's Senate Finance Committee hearing, with multiple GOP senators sending signals that they're ready for more oversight over the secretary's actions.
- Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said he was "deeply concerned" over the recent measles outbreak and the firing of CDC director Susan Monarez.
- Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also criticized Kennedy for firing Monarez, questioning how the secretary went from calling her a "brilliant microbiologist" to firing her four weeks later.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who provided a key vote in Kennedy's confirmation hearing, criticized the secretary for limiting who is eligible to get the COVID vaccine in August.
- "I would say effectively we're denying people the vaccine," Cassidy said, as he shared stories of people unable to get a COVID-19 booster shot amid HHS' new policies.
Go deeper: "Charlatan," "ignorant": Democrats blast RFK Jr. on vaccines
