Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Sunday defended President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, saying that Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, “is extremely intelligent when it comes to vaccines and questionable levels of autism in the United States.
“I sat down and had a long conversation with [Kennedy]and I actually think the man is extremely intelligent when it comes to this sort of thing. And some of these things do raise a lot of questions,” Mullin told NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ when asked whether Kennedy’s history of questioning vaccine efficacy is a deal-breaker for the Oklahoma senator .
“I said that vaccinations have some positive aspects. I have also questioned the vaccines several times, and I think they should be questioned as well,” Mullin told moderator Kristen Welker before baselessly linking vaccines to autism, something Kennedy has done repeatedly for years, even though There is no evidence that vaccines cause the disease. condition.
“For example, why does America score the highest in autism? What causes that? Is it our diet, or is it the things we put into our children’s systems?’ said Mullin, adding, “What causes that? And if it’s not vaccines, there’s nothing wrong with taking a good look at it and finding out: Is that the cause? Is it something else we’re putting into our systems? We do know that we are not as healthy as we should be right now.”
While it is true that autism spectrum disorders have been increasingly diagnosed “most years since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking ASD in 2000,” according to the CDC, the agency notes that “studies continue to show that vaccines do not associated with ASD.”
The agency points to two studies, one from the National Academy of Medicine and one from the CDC, that found vaccines do not cause autism. The first assessed the safety of eight individual vaccines for children and adults. The second study examined antigens given to children during the first two years of life. Both studies showed 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, such as former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was nominated as the next attorney general, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who was selected as the next secretary . of defense.
Mullin agreed that he and Gaetz, who once served together in the House of Representatives, “have had our differences,” but he added: “Going forward, I respect President Trump’s right to appoint these individuals. But under article two, section two [of the U.S. Constitution]Congress must advise and consent, and Matt Gaetz will face the same scrutiny as any other individual, and I’m going to give him a fair chance just like any individual.”
Gaetz has long faced criticism from his colleagues and outsiders over a yearslong federal investigation launched by the Justice Department looking into allegations that he may have engaged in human trafficking or had sex with a minor.
Gaetz has denied the allegations and the investigation ended when the Justice Department chose not to charge him.
The House Ethics Committee has launched its own investigation into Gaetz, but with his resignation from the House this week, it is unclear whether their 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 Gaetz’s nomination. Others are still 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 underage, called on the commission to release her, writing in a post on were witnesses” when the alleged incident occurred.
Also last week, an attorney for another woman interviewed by the committee said his client “testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Representative Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017.”
On Sunday, Mullin told Welker that the report’s findings “should certainly be part of our decision-making” as the Senate weighs whether to confirm Gaetz.
“I believe the Senate should have access to that. Should it be made public or not? That is, I think that will be part of the negotiations, but that should certainly be part of our decision-making,” Mullin said.
He also defended Hegseth, who is facing a recently surfaced sexual assault allegation. 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 the payments to the plaintiff. with a lie to explain why the woman had not returned to her husband’s room that evening. 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 she was the aggressor.”
‘Mr Hegseth is completely innocent. It was only a few years later, after she lost her job, that she began trying to pressure Mr. Hegseth for money,” Parlatore added. “In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and maintained his innocence.”
“I think he’s a good choice,” Mullin told Welker. “But again, as allegations come out, as the Senate continues to advise and consent to the President of the United States and fulfill our constitutional duties, we will find out whether he can do that. Whether you get confirmed or not, and I think Pete is a good choice for this position.”
Mullin also indicated he would support Trump in pursuing confirmation of some of his picks through the recess nomination process, something Trump said he would ask the Senate majority leader in a post on Truth Social before Republicans in the Senate elected Sen. John Thune, R-S. D., last week as their new majority leader.
A recess nomination process would allow the president to place the House and Senate in recess so he could appoint his nominees without having to go through the Senate’s traditional confirmation process.
It’s something the Senate tries to avoid, which is why the House holds pro forma sessions even during 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 would be the absolute last resort,” Mullin told Welker. “But if that’s what we have to do to get confirmation through, then absolutely let’s do it. But I would say that would be the last option.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
