MatzavRFK Jr. Slams CNN’s Dana Bash In Fiery Shouting Match Over Over Vaccines, Measles and COVID: ‘You Were Part of the Problem’
[Video below.] Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparred intensely with CNN anchor Dana Bash during a combative interview Sunday, with the two clashing over COVID-19, vaccines, measles, autism, and the media’s handling of the pandemic in an exchange that repeatedly devolved into shouting.
The tension first surfaced when Bash noted that Kennedy has repeatedly blamed Dr. Anthony Fauci for many of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci, who testified before a Senate committee last week, invoked the Fifth Amendment numerous times rather than answer lawmakers’ questions.
The confrontation escalated after Bash asked Kennedy how he would respond if another pandemic emerged. Kennedy argued that protecting Americans’ constitutional liberties must take precedence.
“We need to protect our constitutional rights. That is the primary obligation,” Kennedy said during CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday when asked about how he would deal with a pandemic in the future. “One of the mistakes we made in the last time was suppressing those rights so people weren’t being heard.”
Bash dismissed the response, saying he was focusing on constitutional issues rather than public health and attempted to steer the interview in a different direction.
Kennedy immediately fired back.
“Because you were part of the problem,” he fired back.
He then accused the media of abandoning its responsibility to challenge those in power.
“It was absolute press malpractice … your job is furious skepticism of authority, and you weren’t doing that.”
Bash responded by insisting that her goal was to prevent Kennedy from making what she viewed as false statements. She maintained that “factually true that the COVID vaccine worked.”
Growing frustrated, Bash asked Kennedy whether he intended to continue criticizing her instead of answering questions.
“Do you want to sit here and attack me, or do you want to have conversations?” Bashed vented.
Kennedy answered sharply.
“You’ve been sitting here and attacking me.”
The interview then shifted to the measles outbreak, but the argument quickly returned to the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including their use in children. Kennedy challenged Bash to identify a study proving her assertions, while Bash countered by citing research suggesting vaccine misinformation may have contributed to between 100,000 and 200,000 additional deaths in the United States.
Kennedy rejected her claims outright.
“You are saying nonsense. You are saying something that you cannot [prove],” the HHS boss fumed.
Bash interrupted during the exchange.
“I am not saying nonsense,” Bash interjected during some crosstalk. “Excuse me.”
When the discussion returned to measles, Kennedy argued that the outbreak is part of a broader international trend and contended that the United States has responded more effectively than any other nation. He also blamed the resurgence in measles on the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a segment of the population that declines vaccination for religious reasons.
Bash then urged Kennedy to use his position as the nation’s top health official to directly encourage parents to vaccinate their children before the new school year.
“What I want you to do is please use your bully pulpit to right now, as we’re getting close to back to school, say … to parents who have not vaccinated their kids that they should vaccinate their kids for measles because it is safe and it will help them save their children’s lives?” Bash said.
She asked Kennedy to look directly into the camera and deliver that message, and he complied.
The interview then turned to autism, where Bash questioned Kennedy about continued investigations into a possible connection between vaccines and autism. Kennedy confirmed that President Donald Trump “certainly does” want him to continue exploring the issue.
“You are wrong when you say that this issue has been studied,” Kennedy said.
As the exchange grew more heated, Kennedy remarked to Bash, “I know you’re flustered now.”
He later challenged her role as a journalist.
“Do you see your job as ending vaccine hesitancy or telling the truth to the American people?” he later added, before bashing her for repeating her lines “like a parrot.”
After more than 20 minutes of back-and-forth, Bash ended the interview on a more conciliatory note, acknowledging the contentious nature of the conversation while defending her approach as an interviewer.
“I’m sorry that this turned into a very contentious conversation, and my job is to try to get the best information out there, and it concerns me when you come in and say things [that are wrong],” Bash concluded before ending the interview, which lasted over 20 minutes.