Private emails show RFK Jr. making false claims about Covid-19 shots, linking vaccines to autism – STAT
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By Rick Berke and Sarah Owermohle Jan. 28, 2025On the eve of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings, his physician niece has shared a trove of private emails in the hopes of derailing his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.The exchanges show RFK Jr. making false claims about Covid-19 vaccines at the height of the pandemic, citing online articles by fellow vaccine skeptics, linking childhood immunizations to autism, and raising doubts about the flu shot. The emails span more than two years, starting in late 2020. While many of his controversial beliefs have been publicly examined, the emails — provided to STAT on Tuesday — show him in unguarded, personal moments.advertisementHis niece, Kerry Kennedy Meltzer, a primary care physician at NYC Health + Hospitals in New York City, told STAT that she had struggled with whether to release the emails publicly, knowing that they could further stir “family drama.” But in the end she said she decided it was vital for the public — and U.S. senators — to better understand what she described as her uncle’s misguided views and conspiracy theories. As President Trump’s top health official, RFK Jr. would have broad power to shape U.S. vaccination policy, and a bully pulpit from which he could discourage — or encourage — people to get vaccinated. Both Republican and Democratic senators have expressed concerns about RFK Jr.’s history of criticizing vaccines, and he is likely to face probing questions on the topic in his hearings.In the exchanges, Meltzer takes care to be respectful, even solicitous, of RFK Jr., sometimes expressing her love for him.advertisement“Bobby, I’ve been working in the ICU for the past two weeks and have taken care of too many people who have died, or will likely die soon, from Covid. None of them are vaccinated,” she wrote in an email dated Feb. 12, 2022. “I watched a daughter collapse on the floor while we pronounced her mother’s time of death. I held the hand of a man who was about to get intubated. He looked at me with tears in his eyes, asking me to please save him. He will likely die in the coming days.”She wrote at the end: “I love you Bobby. You are an inspiration to so many and are giving voice to people who feel they have experienced injustice. I just wish I could take you to my ICU, and show you how much destruction this disease has caused.”That same day, RFK Jr. responded: “Kerry. I don’t dismiss your experience but it differs with data we are seeing from Israel, UK and other nations with much more reliable data systems. You might want to ask your hospital to publish this data so that people can take it seriously. That problem is that CDC has been using corrupt metrics to assess who is vaccinated. CDC counts all people as ‘unvaccinated’ until two weeks after their second shot. We have seen dramatically increased cases and mortalities in the two weeks following the first shot and CDC counts these as unvaccinated.”RFK Jr. and representatives for the Trump transition, White House, and HHS did not respond to requests for comment.STAT+ Exclusive StoryAlready have an account? Log inAlready have an account? Log inMonthly$39Totals $468 per yearTotals $468 per yearStarter$30for 3 months, then $399/yearThen $399/yearAnnual$399Save 15%Save 15%11+ UsersCustomSavings start at 25%!Savings start at 25%!2-10 Users$300Annually per user$300 Annually per user
To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Rick BerkeCo-founder & Executive EditorSarah OwermohleWashington CorrespondentSarah Owermohle reports on the administration’s health care initiatives, federal health policy, and its intersection with politics and the courts. She joined STAT in 2022 after covering health policy at Politico. She is also the co-author of the free, twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.Washington never stops. Cut through the noise with our essential updates on health care politics and policy
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