Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CNN host Dana Bash engaged in a contentious exchange over vaccine research, autism, Anthony Fauci and the media’s responsibility when questioning government health authorities.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CNN host Dana Bash repeatedly clashed Sunday during a 22-minute interview that grew heated as they debated vaccine research, autism, public confidence in health authorities and whether Americans should be told to “trust the experts.”
The discussion followed a Friday Cabinet meeting in which President Donald Trump urged Kennedy to continue examining whether certain vaccines could be associated with autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction and may involve focused interests and differences in sensory processing.
Bash challenged Kennedy over his continued attention to vaccines, saying decades of medical research had found no causal connection between vaccination and autism. She asked why the department was not directing more attention toward fetal brain development, genetic predispositions and possible environmental contributors.
“Now, have you talked to [Trump] about medical research that have studied this for 25 years and found no link between autism and vaccines? And just that — this is my question here, because I don’t want to litigate that, my question is … because you are HHS secretary now — why not study what could cause autism, which scientists do believe starts with fetal brain development?” Bash asked. “Why not do some studies on that … — since you’re an environmental lawyer — whether there are environmental factors that go into contributing to a predisposed genetic situation?”
Kennedy said the department was investigating a range of possible causes and pointed to research involving acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and around the time of birth.
“We’re doing all those things. And that’s one of the ways that we found Tylenol,” Kennedy responded. “There’s 73 studies out that link Tylenol exposure during later pregnancy and during the perinatal period to autism onset. But you are wrong when you say that this issue has been studied. It has been studied. And you’re rolling your eyes, Dana, but this is another example—”
Bash interrupted, saying she did not want Kennedy using the broadcast to make claims she believed had been disproven.
“I am, because I don’t want to have you use our air to say this,” Bash responded. “There have been more than 40 studies involving 5.6 million people to conclude there is no link between vaccines and autism. This is the head of the Committee of Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics.”
Video of the interview showed the two speaking over one another at several points as Kennedy disputed Bash’s characterization of the available research.
WATCH:
The Mayo Clinic states that studies have not established a link between vaccines and autism.
Kennedy cited findings he attributed to the Institute of Medicine, now known as the National Academy of Medicine, and argued that individual vaccines administered to infants had not all been evaluated in the manner he believed was necessary.
“And now let me tell you what the Institute of Medicine says— which is the National Academy of Sciences, which is the ultimate arbiter on vaccine safety in which it does not have an interest in this debate,” Kennedy said. “It says that none of the eight vaccines that are administered during the first six months of life have ever been studied for relationship to autism. It found two studies, one on the DTP [named to protect against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria (a bacterial infection), tetanus (lockjaw), and pertussis (whooping cough)] vaccine that show that it does cause autism, and one on the hepatitis B vaccine that again suggests that it does cause autism.”
“I’m not trying to link autism to anything,” Kennedy added.
Bash later said Kennedy’s comments concerned her because of their possible effect on parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children.
“I am frustrated,” Bash said. “The reason I’m frustrated is because I— you are the HHS secretary, and you are talking about things that lead to vaccine hesitancy in this country. And it is something that causes problems for people, when there is not anything—”
The dispute broadened beyond autism research as Kennedy questioned how Bash viewed her role as a journalist and whether her objective was to reduce vaccine hesitancy or challenge official claims.
“Let me ask you something,” Kennedy asked Bash. “Do you see your job as ending vaccine hesitancy, or do you see your job as telling the truth to the American people?”
“I see my job as telling the truth,” Bash replied. “And the truth is that there is study after study after study. It’s one of the most studied things out there in science.”
“You’re repeating it like a parrot,” Kennedy said. “You’re repeating it like a parrot.”
“So are you,” Bash responded.
Kennedy accused the host of relying on statements from established authorities rather than independently questioning their records.
“All you know how to do is repeat things that people told you and say, ‘Trust the experts,’” Kennedy said. “Now we know that Anthony Fauci, who was the expert, was lying about everything, about masks, about the social distancing, about natural immunity, about the transmission from the vaccine, about the source of COVID. He was lying, and you were punishing people for not trusting the experts. And now you’re rolling out the experts again to talk about something that you have no personal knowledge of.”
Kennedy’s comments came after Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing Wednesday.
“Well, guess what? That is my job to talk to people,” Bash said.
“Your job is to tell the truth to the American public and to maintain a posture of fierce skepticism toward government authority,” Kennedy replied.
“Am I allowed to talk?” Bash asked. “Yes, yes. And my job is to get as much information as I can.”
The conversation continued into a dispute over Fauci’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s messaging on masks, social distancing, natural immunity, vaccine transmission and the origin of the virus.
Kennedy and Bash later turned to the administration’s efforts to reduce the consumption of processed and “ultra-processed” foods, an issue central to the Make America Healthy Again movement.
As the interview concluded, Bash acknowledged that the segment had become more confrontational than anticipated.
“I’m sorry that this turned into a very contentious conversation, and my job is to try to get the best information out there,” Bash said.
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