Transcription
Kennedy, I want to start with something that I think you and I agree on, and that is that Big Pharma has too much power in Washington.
You said that President Trump asked you to quote clean up corruption and conflicts. Sounds great. You've said that you will slam shut the revolving door between government agencies and the companies they regulate. That also sounds great.
So here's an easy question. Will you commit that when you leave this job, you will not accept compensation from a drug company, a medical device company, a hospital system, or a health insurer for at least 4 years, including as a lobbyist or a board member?
Can you just repeat the last part of the question? Can I commit? You're not going to take money from drug companies in any way, shape, or form. Yes, you're happy to commit to that.
OK. That's what I figured. I said it's an easy question to start with. And I think you're right on this. I don't think any of them want to give me money, by the way.
Let's keep going. You're right because to say yes, because every American has the right to know that every decision you make as our number one health officer is to help them and not to make money for yourself in the future.
So I want to talk more about money. I'm looking at your paperwork right now. In the past two years, you've raked in $2.5 million from a law firm called Wisner Baum.
You go online, you do commercials to encourage people to sign up with Wisner Baum to join lawsuits against vaccine makers, and for everyone who signs up, you personally get paid. If they win their case, you get 10% of what they win.
So if you bring in somebody who gets $10 million, you walk away with a million dollars. Now you just said that you want the American people to know. You can't be bought. Your decisions won't depend on how much money you could make in the future.
You won't go to work for a drug company after you leave HHS, but you and I both know there's another way to make money. So Mr. Kennedy, will you also agree that you won't take any compensation from any lawsuits against drug companies while you are secretary and for 4 years afterwards?
Well, I'll certainly commit. Well, I'm secretary, but I do want to clarify something because you're making me sound like a shell. I, um, I put together that case. I did the science day, uh, presentation to the judge on that case to get it into court.
Mr. Albert E. Mr. Kennedy, it's just a really simple question. You've taken in $2.5 million. I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won't go to work suing the drug companies and taking your rake out of that while you're a secretary and for 4 years after.
It's just I'll commit to not taking any fees from drug companies while I'm secretary. I'm asking about fees from suing drug companies. Will you agree not to do that?
You're asking me to not sue drug companies and I'm not going to agree. I agree.
So let's do a quick count here of how, as Secretary of HHS, if you get confirmed, you could influence every one of those lawsuits.
Well, let me start the list. You can publish your anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on US government letterheads, something a jury might be impressed by.
You could appoint people to the vaccine panel who share your anti-vax views and let them do your dirty work. You could tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccine schedule.
You could remove vaccines from special compensation programs, which would open up manufacturers to mass torts. You could make more injuries eligible for compensation even if there is no causal evidence.
You could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits. You could turn over FDA data to your friends at the law firm, and they could use it however it benefited them.
You could change vaccine labeling, you could change vaccine information rules. You could change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program.
There's a lot of ways that you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you are secretary of HHS, and I'm asking you to commit right now that you will not take a financial stake in every one of those lawsuits so that what you do as secretary will also benefit you financially down the line.
I'll comply with all the ethical guidance. That's not the question you and I, you have you're asking me, you're asking me not to vaccine.
Mike, you are. That's exactly what you're doing. Look, no one should be fooled here. As Secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy will have the power to undercut vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across our country.
And for all of his talk about following the science and his promise that he won't interfere with those of us who want to vaccinate his kids, the bottom line is the same.
Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it. Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.
Senator, I support vaccines. I will, I support the childhood schedule. I will do that. The only thing I want is good science, and that's it.
How about didn't say you won't make money off what you do as Secretary of HHS before we go to Senator Tillis.