Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s health secretary nominee, levied a surprising accusation last week against the lawmakers who questioned him aggressively during his confirmation hearings: That they’re bought and paid for by “Big Pharma.”
As the Senate considers Kennedy’s nomination, the talking point has swept across social media. In particular, the charges have targeted two lawmakers typically seen as pharma foes: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Both will vote Tuesday on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate.
“By the way, Bernie, the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies, it’s in Congress too,” Kennedy said to Sanders during one of his confirmation hearings last week. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests.”
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