Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was back on Capitol Hill on Thursday, and sparks flew again as he fended off Democrats’ questions. The best moment, however, was when he called out Bernie Sanders to his face for his hypocrisy about Big Pharma. While Sanders lamented the "broken" healthcare system, RFK Jr. took the opportunity to reveal an inconvenient truth that Sanders likely didn't want people to know about.
Sanders began by echoing the frustrations many Americans have regarding health care and even agreeing, in concept, with the goal of eradicating chronic diseases.
“Our health care system is broken, and it's broken for some of the reasons that Mr. Kennedy indicated," he said. "We have not paid attention to the fact that we have massive amounts of chronic disease. We have not answered the question why, in the richest country in the history of the world, our life expectancy is lower than it is in countries far poorer than we are.”
Then he pivoted to his and the Democratic Party’s political agenda as a savior when he stated, "If we want to make America healthy, will you assure the American people that you will fight to do what every other major country on earth does: guarantee health care to every single American?"
“I’m going to make America healthier than other countries in the world; right now, we’re the sickest,” RFK Jr. replied.
“Will you guarantee to do what every other major country does?” Bernie asked again. “That's a simple question.”
However, it was when RFK Jr. turned the tables on Sanders that the real fireworks began. He called out Sanders directly: “And by the way, Bernie, you know, the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies. It's in Congress, too. Almost all the members of this panel are accepting — including yourself — are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests.”
The crowd erupted in cheers, sensing the weight of RFK Jr.’s accusation.
Sanders’ reaction was nothing short of a childish tantrum.
“Oh, no! No, no, no, no!” he exclaimed, flailing his arm in the air in response to the cheering. “I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives. Not one nickel of PAC money from the pharmaceutical. They came from workers.” His response lacked the conviction one would expect from a seasoned politician; instead, he sounded defensive and desperate.
For our VIPs: How RFK Jr.’s Nomination Exposed the Left’s Health Hypocrisy
But RFK Jr. was not ready to back down. He shot back, “In 2020, you were the single largest recipient of pharmaceutical money.” The assertiveness in his voice was palpable as he pushed Sanders further into a corner.
“NO! From workers in the industry!” Sanders retorted, flustered. His attempts at deflection were transparent and devoid of genuine factual rebuttals. RFK Jr. doubled down, clarifying, “1.5 million.” To which Sanders responded, “Yeah, out of 200 million,” as if the context of the situation could somehow justify away the core issue of accountability.
Sparks fly after RFK Jr. calls Bernie Sanders OUT for his hypocrisy:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 30, 2025
"The problem of corruption is not just the federal agencies, it's in Congress too. Almost all members of this panel are accepting money, INCLUDING YOURSELF, are accepting millions of dollars from the… pic.twitter.com/7h7e9ZBtf2
Kennedy was correct, of course. According to OpenSecrets, in 2020, when Sanders ran for president, he received $1,417,633 in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, 72.34% higher than the next highest recipient, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who received $822,573.
Via @OpenSecretsDC: pic.twitter.com/mHjNqfXjG2
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) January 30, 2025
Sanders has continued to receive donations from the industry, though much less when not running for president. Cumulatively, since his first Senate campaign in 2006, he has received $1.95 million in contributions from the industry, putting him in the top ten among senators since 1990.
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