HHS Workers Demand RFK Jr. Stop Spreading Misinformation After CDC Attack

Scores of current and former federal health workers have sent an open letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Congress, accusing him of contributing to the August 8 attack at the Centers for Disease Control's Atlanta headquarters through his politicized rhetoric and actions. The letter, signed by health scientists, scientific review officers, research safety specialists and others, directly links Kennedy's statements to the violence perpetrated by suspected gunman Patrick Joseph White.

"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is complicit in dismantling America's public health infrastructure and endangering the nation's health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information," the signers charge in their letter sent Wednesday.

According to Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement discovered notes about White's "discontent" with the COVID-19 vaccine during their investigation. The letter's signers point to Kennedy's inflammatory language, including calling the CDC a "cesspool of corruption," his termination of key HHS employees, and his repeated undermining of vaccine safety and efficacy.

The workers specifically cite Kennedy's claims that mRNA vaccines "failed to protect effectively" and that the measles vaccine has not been "safety tested." They also highlight his disbanding and reconstituting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with members they say lack appropriate scientific expertise. Additionally, the letter states that Kennedy misused data "to falsely claim childhood vaccines are the cause of autism," referencing public outcry over his announcement that HHS would collect autism data in a centralized database.

"These dangerous and deceitful statements and actions have contributed to the harassment and violence experienced by CDC staff," the letter states.

The signers have issued three specific demands, requesting that Kennedy stop spreading inaccurate health information and "publicly disavow the ongoing dissemination of false and misleading claims about vaccines, infectious disease transmission and America's public health institutions" by September 2. They also want Kennedy to acknowledge that the CDC's work "is rooted in scientific, non-partisan evidence" and to guarantee workforce safety by implementing emergency procedures and removing "high-profile online material targeting the federal workforce, such as the widely seen 'DEI watchlists.'"

Dr. Shiv Prasad, a scientific review officer at the National Institutes of Health who signed the letter publicly, explained his motivation to ABC News: "One is the misinformation that's being spread, especially concerning vaccines and COVID-19 and it has a way of vilifying federal workers who are working every day to ensure the health of Americans."

The controversy extends to Kennedy's recent decision to terminate $500 million in funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority program. "The data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted," Kennedy stated earlier this month.

"Public servants and allies are standing together to demand work environments free from violence, accountability for leaders and policymakers who put everyday Americans in danger, and public health leaders who tell the American people the truth," the open letter concludes

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