Trump administration official Stephen Miller has labeled RFK Jr as untrustworthy, a statement he previously cautioned against making.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a prominent figure in the US, has found himself at the centre of a controversy over his credibility in matters of public health. In June, Kennedy Jr admitted that people should not take medical advice from him, acknowledging his lack of expertise in the field.
However, Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, has praised Kennedy Jr's work within Donald Trump's administration, describing him as "one of the world's foremost experts on public health." Miller's comments have been met with scepticism, with many contrasting them with Kennedy Jr's remarks and his history of pushing discredited claims, such as the widely debunked notion that autism is caused by vaccines.
The controversy deepened when Susan Monarez, the CDC's chief, was fired by Donald Trump. Her sacking on Wednesday sparked resignations from four top CDC officials: chief medical officer Debra Houry, respiratory diseases director Dr Demetre Daskalakis, zoonotic infectious diseases director Daniel Jernigan, and public health data chief Jennifer Layden.
Jim O'Neill, currently Kennedy Jr's deputy, has been announced as the acting head of the CDC. O'Neill's alignment with Kennedy Jr, who has expressed skepticism about mainstream vaccine science, and his lack of explicit identification of credible scientific sources, has raised concerns about his suitability for the role.
Dr Daskalakis, one of the resigning officials, criticized the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for "radical non-transparency" and "unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end." He also stated that Kennedy Jr should not be considered a source of accurate information.
The Lincoln Project and MeidasTouch have ridiculed Stephen Miller's comments, with the latter expressing disbelief at Miller's praise for Kennedy Jr. Another user compared Miller's comments to "letting a conspiracy theorist captain the Titanic."
Physicians have criticized Kennedy Jr for spreading "wacky" disinformation about children's health. Despite his admission about not being a reliable source of medical advice, Kennedy Jr is reportedly working hard to restore the credibility and integrity of the CDC as a scientific organization.
HHS has been contacted by The Independent for comment, but no response has been received at the time of writing.
