During Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Thursday, Sen. Chris Murphy read back statements RFK Jr. has made on vaccines and AIDS.
Murphy honed in Kennedy testifying the day prior to the Senate Finance Committee that he didn’t say or couldn’t recall making certain statements about vaccines and AIDS.
“You said in 2013, ‘Is it hyperbole to say that the people who run our vaccine programs should be in jail? They should be in jail. To me, this is like Nazi death camps. Look at what it does to the families [who participate in the vaccine program]. I can’t tell why somebody would do something like that. I can’t tell you why ordinary Germans participated in the Holocaust. I can’t tell you what was going on in their minds,’” Murphy said at the Thursday hearing as he read prior remarks from Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s health agencies.
“With respect to the pedophilia scandal, you said, ‘The pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church is a perfect metaphor for what’s happening in the United States. The vaccine program — it’s the same reason we had a pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. It’s because people were able to convince themselves that the institution of the church was more important than these little boys and girls who were being raped,’” Murphy continued.
“You aren’t exploring science; you have made up your mind,” the Connecticut Democrat added. “You’ve spent your entire career trying to undermine these programs.”
As Kennedy attempted to defend himself, Murphy again reiterated, “You equated pedophilia to the administration of vaccines.”
“It wasn’t pedophilia…” Kennedy began responding.
“You said it was a perfect metaphor,” Murphy exclaimed.
“Is it a perfect metaphor?” the senator questioned.
“It’s not a perfect metaphor, but there’s no metaphor that’s perfect,” Kennedy said.