Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday in what was always bound to be a contentious hearing. The hearing came just a week after Kennedy pressured newly appointed CDC Director Susan Monarez to resign. When she refused, the White House fired her, which prompted three top CDC officials to resign in protest.
Contentious may be too mild a term. The proceedings devolved into a shouting match when Kennedy confronted Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) over the risks associated with the mRNA vaccines — something we’ve documented extensively here at PJ Media.
What began as a tense back-and-forth quickly escalated when Bennet accused Kennedy of lying.
“You can make, you can characterize it any way you want,” Bennet snapped. “I quoted them today. What I said was accurate. What you said were lies.”
Kennedy immediately pushed back, demanding that Bennet answer a simple question. “Senator, are you saying that an mRNA vaccine has never been associated with myocarditis or pericarditis in teenagers?”
Caught off guard, Bennet stumbled. “I am saying, I am simply saying—”
Kennedy pressed harder. “Is that what you’re trying to tell us?”
Rather than give a straight answer, Bennet deflected, attacking Kennedy’s credibility. “I am simply trying to say that the people that you have put on that panel, after firing the entire—”
“You’re evading the question,” Kennedy said, cutting him off.
Bennet grew visibly agitated, insisting, “No, I’m asking the questions here, Mr. Kennedy.”
But Kennedy didn’t let up. “You’re evading that question.”
The exchange devolved into a heated standoff, with Bennet accusing Kennedy of failing the public. “I’m answering the questions for Mr. Kennedy on behalf of parents and schools and teachers all over the United States of America who deserve so much better than your leadership.”
Kennedy, undeterred, fired back with the point that struck at the heart of the matter: “Senator, Senator, they deserve the truth, and that’s what we’re gonna give them for the first time in the history of that agency.”
🚨 HOLY SH*T! A SHOUTING MATCH erupts, RFK Jr. holds nothing back.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 4, 2025
"Are you saying, senator, that the mRNA vaccine has NEVER been associated with myocarditis or pericarditis in teens? Is THAT what you're trying to tell us?!"
"You're EVADING THE QUESTION! I asked YOU a… pic.twitter.com/e5VQYLsk95
The fireworks punctuated the fact that Kennedy wasn’t going to let Democrats brush past the vaccine safety debate with dismissive talking points. He demanded answers — and Bennet had none.
That clash between Kennedy and Bennet went straight to the heart of the vaccine debate. For years, public health officials assured Americans that the risk of myocarditis — a serious form of heart inflammation — was far worse from COVID infection than from the mRNA vaccines. The CDC even claimed the occurrence was as rare as 0.001%, or about one in 100,000 doses. But a 2023 Swiss study told a very different story, showing the real number is closer to 3% — roughly 3,000 times higher than what our own government told us.
Yet Democrats are outraged that Kennedy is cleaning house at the CDC when they have not only failed to keep America healthy, but — mounting evidence shows — repeatedly lied to the public for years following the COVID outbreak.
They’ve lied to us for too long about vaccine safety, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing back hard against the corrupt D.C. elite. PJ Media delivers the stories the mainstream media won’t touch. Join PJ Media VIP now for uncensored news and commenting privileges. Use promo code FIGHT for 60% off. Support fearless conservative journalism that puts America First!
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