Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was called out by the editors of the Wall Street Journal opinion page for declaring war on Tylenol as a putative cause of autism cases, claiming he is doing it in the service of pals who will profit from the accusations.
In an editorial late Tuesday, the editors acknowledged that more research needs to be done into autism, but claimed that Kennedy is taking his department down the wrong path. And they questioned his motives.
According to some analysts, Kennedy, who has no medical training, has severely disrupted his department’s mission by firing experts and replacing them with like-minded cronies. And the Journal is now accusing him of not only sketchy science, but also possible criminality.
The editors asked, “why the sudden alarm, complete with a presidential presser?” to which they added, “The Occam’s razor answer is the influence of RFK Jr., who is carrying water for his friends in the plaintiffs bar. A who’s-who of lawsuit shops are pushing the Tylenol-autism link in federal court. The litigants include the Lanier Law Firm, Beasley Allen, Cooper Law Partners, and Keller Postman. Most have been allies of Mr. Kennedy in other mass torts, such as against the weed-killer Roundup and Merck’s HPV vaccine.”
Having established that link, they wrote, “The lawyers are hoping the government will breathe new life into them—conveniently timed for their appeal at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals this fall. Lead attorney Ashley Keller told Reuters last week that he planned to alert the appellate court ‘if HHS follows through and does the right thing.’”
The Journal then suggested that Donald Trump, who participated in the press conference on Monday, may not realize what Kennedy is trying to pull off.
“Perhaps no one told Mr. Trump about this trial lawyer campaign, but the costs of his intervention aren’t benign. He’s raising public fear about a useful medicine in a way that could harm maternal and fetal health. Whatever happened to do no harm?” they wrote.
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