An attorney advising Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized The New York Times and other media outlets for publishing a claim that the Trump ally wants to eradicate approval for the polio vaccine.
Attorney Aaron Siri joined Fox News on Tuesday to clarify his statements after it was widely reported he advised Kennedy, who President-elect Trump tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to pause distribution of several vaccines.
“It’s totally false to say that the petition sought to revoke the polio vaccine, as if the petition intended to make it so that Americans couldn’t get the polio vaccine,” Siri said. “It was for only one of six licensed polio vaccines.”
Siri noted that he filed a petition on behalf of a separate client, not Kennedy, and it was specifically for a “new polio vaccine” licensed in 1990.
Siri went on to defend Kennedy, who has made several anti-vaccine comments in the past.
“He doesn’t want to get rid of any vaccines. Mr. Kennedy has made very clear, he just wants to make sure that there’s transparency and that there’s proper science,” Siri said.
After the Times’s piece about Siri was released, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) blasted the idea of eradicating the polio vaccine as “specious disinformation” that will threaten the advancements of “lifesaving medical progress.”
McConnell, a polio survivor, warned that the efforts to undermine public confidence in cures is dangerous.
Siri argued he and Kennedy want more testing and research into vaccines before the product is licensed, goes on the market and is “injected into millions of babies.”
“That’s all we’re talking about in terms of safety. He just wants safety. He wants transparency and he doesn’t want to deprive people of vaccinations,” Siri said.
