McConnell warns RFK Jr. to stay away from the polio vaccine

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a stern warning. after a report highlighted how one of Kennedy’s associates had tried to overturn the approval of a polio vaccine.

McConnell, a polio survivor, said in a statement that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not only misinformed, they are dangerous.”

“Anyone seeking Senate consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to avoid even the appearance of association with these efforts,” he added, without naming Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who is l President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Department. of Health and Human Services.

NOBEL LAUREATES CRITICIZE RFK JR. HHS NOMINATION FOR “LACK OF CREDENTIALS,” VACCINE POSITION

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., takes a question from a reporter during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024 in Washington, d.c. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

McConnell’s statement follows a New York Times report on Friday that highlighted how Kennedy’s personal attorney, Aaron Siri, had represented clients in cases seeking to rescind approval of a version of the polio vaccine and others.

“Like millions of families before them, my parents knew the pain and fear of watching their son struggle with a life-altering diagnosis of polio. From the age of two, a normal life without paralysis was only possible by to me thanks to the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love But for the millions who came after me, the real miracle was the saving power of the polio vaccineMcConnell said.

RFK JR. WANTS TO DELETE ‘SITTING DEPARTMENTS’ AT FDA: ‘THEY HAVE TO GO’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters at Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, New York on August 21, 2024. (Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

“For decades, I’ve been proud to work with dedicated advocates, from Rotary International to the Gates Foundation, and use my platform in public life to advocate for finding cures for new generations. I’ve never stopped fighting to the misleading misinformation that threatens the advance of life-saving medical progress, and I will not do that today.

The GOP leader joined his Democratic counterpart, the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumerwho demanded that RFK Jr. make his position on the polio vaccine clear.

TRUMP TAPS RFK JR. LEAD THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Sept. 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

“This would certainly make America sick again,” Schumer said, sharing the Times report on X. “It’s outrageous and dangerous for the people in the Trump Transition to try to get rid of the polio vaccine that has virtually eradicated polio in America and saved millions of lives, RFK Jr. must state his position on it.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A spokesman for Trump’s transition team said: “Mr. Kennedy believes that the polio vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.”