NBC NEWS on Aaron Siri and Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy wants "more science, more study done on some of the vaccines "

This coverage was very interesting. Since Robert Kennedy was named for HHS, I’ve seen non-stop reports from the mainstream media saying endlessly that all the studies show that vaccines are safe, all the science is in. Kennedy is usually described as dangerous and conspiratorial, and there is no valid basis for any of his claims.

The report here focused on the role of attorney Aaron Siri in petitioning to revoke the license of one of the polio vaccines, but it left the audience with no real explanation. Why did Siri go after the polio vaccine? What is the problem? Why didn’t NBC interview Siri?

At one point in this short clip, the reporter said Kennedy “believes people should have choice and that there should be more science, more study done on some of the vaccines that are currently required.” That sounded quite reasonable.

That was a big concession from NBC.

This wasn’t so much an attack on Kennedy as it was speculating on what going to happen when he gets to the confirmation hearing.

Notice that autism was mentioned ONE TIME in this report, yet that’s such a central part of the controversy over vaccine safety.

As long as no one is ever worried about what autism is doing to children, these discussions will go on.

It’s time to wake up the world to the fact that we need for answers to the nightmare of autism. Why can’t the agency that gets billions of dollars every year to run health care in the U.S. tell us why the autism rate never stops increasing? Why can’t officials at the Centers for Disease Control tell us anything about autism except that there is no link to their vaccines?

It’s time for new leadership everywhere in health care. It’s time to stop all the cover-up.

55:31 NBC News:

NBC anchor: As we mentioned, Mr. Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is set to meet Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week.

Aaron Gilchrist: The [Times] reporting is about a man named Aaron Siri. He is a lawyer who we know is helping Robert F. Kennedy, Jr with staffing, helping him to choose the people who would work under him as Health and Human Services Secretary.

Siri also worked for a non-profit organization that over the years has used him to file these petitions. In this particular case, it was two years ago where Aaron Siri filed a petition with the FDA to revoke the approval of a polio vaccine, and so the concern that's arisen now is that this person who on behalf of this organization, submitted this petition to revoke this particular vaccine as well as other vaccines, is now very closely connected to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

He's advising him on who to bring into the Department of Health, and that's raising concerns about what actions he might be advised to do and how he might advise President Trump as it relates to vaccines, in particular, the polio vaccine.

We know that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has a long history of vaccine skepticism. He's talked often about his belief that vaccines are related or connected to autism. Now this seems as though this is going to be a point of conversation as he goes through the confirmation process.

The NBC cited "backlash from lawmakers" to Kennedy.

Elizabeth Warren on X: Say good bye to your smile and say hello to polio. Donald Trump just picked RFK, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He's actually welcoming a return to polio, a disease we nearly eradicated.

You can't make this stuff up.

The anchor asked Gilchrist about how lawmakers will respond to Kennedy.

Gilchrist: Any nominee would want to have a path that is easy to get through, where there's really not a diverse line of questioning that they would have to go through in the confirmation process.

In the case though with RFK, Jr., Elizabeth Warren speaks to concern that other Democrats have voiced in the past, and after this article was published in the New York Times, there was a statement from the minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, who is outgoing as leader but still has a lot of influence. People listen to what he has to say.

He is also a polio survivor. He didn't name Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in a statement that he put out, but I'll show you what he had to say after that article came to light.

Mitch McConnell: Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed, they're dangerous.

Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.

Gilchrist: Kennedy did speak with our Vaughn Hillyard last month about his thinking about vaccines in general. He said that he's not trying to take anyone's vaccines away, but he believes people should have choice and that there should be more science, more study done on some of the vaccines that are currently required in some cases. particularly for children.

Anchor: All this leads up to this week. Kennedy set to meet with several Republican senators on Capitol Hill. . . .
What should we expect this week?

Gilchrist: We should expect to see something to what we've seen with other controversial picks who've been on the Hill. These one-on-one meetings with senators, some of whom would be connected to committees that would be a part of the confirmation process, other senators who are in the larger group who might have concerns about some of the things that Kennedy has said in the past, the opinions that he has in particular about vaccines.

We know that Senator Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday and was asked about Kennedy and he seemed to support at least the idea that he would come to the Hill, that he would have the opportunity to sit and talk to him.

They have shared some similar lines of thinking about things like food, for example, the way food is processed in this country, the obesity problem in this country.

There's an openness to have him come and answer questions one-on-one.

It's that confirmation hearing that is interesting to see. . . ., more study done on some of the vaccines that are currently required in some cases. particularly for children.

Anchor: All this leads up to this week. Kennedy set to meet with several Republican senators on Capitol Hill. . . .
What should we expect this week?

Gilchrist: We should expect to see something to what we've seen with other controversial picks who've been on the Hill. These one-on-one meetings with senators, some of whom would be connected to committees that would be a part of the confirmation process, other senators who are in the larger group who might have concerns about some of the things that Kennedy has said in the past, the opinions that he has in particular about vaccines.

We know that Senator Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday and was asked about Kennedy and he seemed to support at least the idea that he would come to the Hill, that he would have the opportunity to sit and talk to him.

They have shared some similar lines of thinking about things like food, for example, the way food is processed in this country, the obesity problem in this country.

There's an openness to have him come and answer questions one-on-one.

It's that confirmation hearing that will be interesting to see. . . .

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