Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Sunday defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, saying Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, is “extremely intelligent when it comes to” vaccines and questioning levels of autism in the U.S.
“I’ve sat down and had a long conversation with [Kennedy], and I actually find the guy extremely intelligent when it comes to this stuff. And some of this stuff does raise a lot of questions,” Mullin said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” when he was asked whether Kennedy’s history of questioning the efficacy of vaccines is a deal-breaker for him.
“I have said that there’s some positives to vaccinations. I’ve also questioned the vaccines multiple times, and I think they should be questioned,” Mullin told moderator Kristen Welker before he falsely linked vaccines to autism, something Kennedy has repeatedly done for years, even though there is no evidence that vaccines cause the condition.
“For instance, why is America highest in autism? What is causing that? Is it our diet, or is it some of the stuff we’re putting in our children’s system?” Mullin said, adding: “What is causing that? And if it isn’t vaccines, there’s nothing wrong with actually taking a hard look and finding out is that’s what’s causing it. Is it something else that we’re putting in our systems? We do know we’re not as healthy as we should be right now.”
While it is true that autism spectrum disorder has been diagnosed at increasing levels “most years since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking ASD in 2000,”
according to the CDC
, the agency notes that “the studies continue to show that vaccines are not associated with ASD.”
The agency
points to two studies
, one from the National Academy of Medicine and one from the CDC, that found that vaccines do not cause autism. The first
reviewed the safety of eight individual vaccines
for children and adults. The second study
reviewed antigens given to children
during the first two years of life. Both studies found that vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.
Kennedy has a long history of baselessly questioning the efficacy of vaccines and
has also promoted conspiracy theories
about fluoride, heavy metals in food and pesticides.
Mullin also spoke Sunday about some of Trump’s other Cabinet nominees, like former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was nominated to be the next attorney general, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who was selected to be the next defense secretary.
Mullin agreed that he and Gaetz, who once served together in the House, “have had our differences,” but he added: “Moving forward, I do, I do respect President Trump’s right to appoint these individuals. But underneath Article II, Section 2 [of the Constitution], Congress has to advise and consent, and Matt Gaetz is going to go through the same scrutiny as every other individual, and I’m going to give him a fair shot, just like every individual.”
Gaetz has long faced scrutiny from his colleagues and outsiders about
a yearslong federal investigation launched by the
Justice
Department
into allegations that he may have been involved in human trafficking or had sex with a minor.
Gaetz has denied the allegations, and the investigation ended with the Justice Department opting not to charge him.
The House Ethics Committee launched its own investigation into Gaetz, but with his resignation from the House last week, it is unclear whether the report will ever be publicly released.
Several senators, on both sides of the aisle,
have asked to see the report
as they consider how to vote on the nomination, and others still are skeptical that Gaetz will ever get enough votes to be confirmed.
Last week, an attorney for the 17-year-old who said she had sex with Gaetz while she was a minor called on the committee to release the report,
writing on X
that “she was a high school student and there were witnesses.”
Also last week, a lawyer for another woman interviewed by the committee
said his client “testified to the House Ethics Committee
that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017.”
Mullin told Welker that the findings in the report “should be definitely part of our decision-making.”
“I believe the, I believe the Senate should have access to that. Now, should it be released to the public or not? That, that’s, I guess that will be part of the negotiations, but that should be definitely part of our decision-making,” he said.
He also defended Hegseth, who faces a
newly resurfaced allegation
of sexual assault. Hegseth has denied the allegation and has not been charged with a crime.
In a statement to NBC News, Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, denied the allegations but confirmed payments made to the accuser, saying in a statement: “This is a situation where a consensual encounter occurred and, unfortunately, the woman had to come up with a lie to explain why the woman had not come back to her husband’s room that night. It wasn’t reported until days later until there was pressure from her husband. It was fully investigated by police and video surveillance as well as multiple eyewitness statements show that she was the aggressor.
“Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent. It wasn’t until a couple of years later after she lost her job that she began trying to squeeze Mr. Hegseth for money,” Parlatore added. “In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and maintains his innocence.”
Mullin told Welker: “I think he’s a good pick. But once again, as allegations come out, we’ll figure out if, as, as the Senate moves forward with the advise and consent to the president of the United States and doing our constitutional duties, we’ll figure out if he can get confirmed or not, and, and I do think that Pete’s a good pick for this position.”
Mullin also indicated that he would support Trump’s pursuing confirmation of some of his picks via the recess appointment process, which Trump
said on Truth Social
he would ask of the Senate majority leader before Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as their new majority leader last week.
A recess appointment process would allow the president to place the House and the Senate into recess so he could appoint his nominees without having to go through the traditional Senate confirmation process.
It’s something that the Senate strives to avoid, and it’s why the chamber gavels into pro forma sessions even while it’s in recess.
Mullin acknowledged that it is a “very difficult” process and recalled that President Barack Obama tried to use the recess appointment process and was rebuked by the Supreme Court.
“It’d be the absolute last resort,” Mullin told Welker. “But if that’s what we have to do to get the confirmation through, then absolutely, let’s do it. But I would say that would be last option.”
Note: Thank you for visiting our website! We strive to keep you informed with the latest updates based on expected timelines, although please note that we are not affiliated with any official bodies. Our team is committed to ensuring accuracy and transparency in our reporting, verifying all information before publication. We aim to bring you reliable news, and if you have any questions or concerns about our content, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!