Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced the first of two confirmation hearings Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services.
A son of a Democratic political dynasty, Kennedy is seeking to become the nation’s top health official.
The 71-year-old, whose famous name and family tragedies have put him in the national spotlight since he was a child, has spent years airing his populist — and sometimes extreme — views in podcasts, TV interviews and speeches, building his own quixotic brand. He’s been divisive, with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis facing blowback from fellow Democrats in the state in November after he expressed excitement about the president-elect’s pick of Kennedy for the job.
Wednesday’s hearing was in front of the Senate Finance Committee. But even before his grilling in front of senators on both sides of the aisle, he has faced a coordinated effort to stop his nomination. A television and digital ad campaign is highlighting his anti-vaccine work. And former Vice President Mike Pence, a stalwart of the conservative anti-abortion movement, is lobbying against him, too.
Reading from podcast transcripts and his own writings, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet quizzed Kennedy about prior statements relating to COVID-19, Lyme disease, abortion and the idea that exposure to insecticides causes gender dysphoria.
Watch video of the exchange: