A co-chairman for former President Donald Trump’s transition team cleared the air on just what kind of role Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will — or will not play — in a Trump administration.
Howard Lutnick said in a Wednesday interview that Kennedy, who ran for president as an independentand is now backing Trump, is looking for federal data that may prove vaccines are not safe and should be kept off the market, The Hill reported.
Lutnick also said Kennedy will not be named secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) — and he doesn’t want the job.
“He’s not getting a job for HHS,” Lutnick said on CNN. There is a claim Trump had promised Kennedy the job.
“He wants the data, so he can say, ‘These things are unsafe.’ He says, ‘If you give me the data, all I want is the data, and I’ll take on the data and show that it’s not safe. And then if you pull the product liability, the companies will yank these vaccines right off, off of the market,’” Lutnick said.
“So, that’s his point. He’s not trying to do anything, but things that made sense,” Lutnick continued.
He said Kennedy recently explained to him many theories regarding vaccines that Lutnick said made sense.
Lutnick reiterated some unsubstantiated claims, including the government is withholding data about vaccines, that vaccines are are related to an increase in autism diagnoses and scientists were paid to say Kennedy is lying about vaccines.
Kennedy has said Trump promised him “control” of HHS. This concerned some scientists about what would happen to vaccine access and research if Trump wins the election.