The White House quietly installed a "babysitter" to keep Robert F. Kennedy Jr in check amid terror the vaccine-sceptic is about to help tank the GOP's midterm performance, a report claimed Friday.
The secretary of health and human services' most powerful aide has been installed to keep Kennedy from going off the rails, several Democrats told Politico.
Chris Klomp was elevated to chief HHS counselor in February, effectively becoming Kennedy's second-in-command with authority over both personnel and policy at the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Klomp's speaking role at White House events and his presence behind the secretary at every hearing would seem to bear that out," a Democratic Senate aide told Politico about claims that Klomp was actually installed as a minder.
The aide added that several senators suspect Klomp was promoted "to babysit RFK because the White House doesn't trust him" and because Kennedy's vaccine policies and other unorthodox beliefs are unpopular.
Klomp has directly overseen major personnel decisions — including selecting a pro-vaccination doctor to lead the CDC over Kennedy's preferred anti-vaccine pick. He's the one who told Trump about the CDC nomination. He negotiated 17 drug-pricing deals that earned him a personal shoutout from the president, and he sat behind Kennedy at every one of seven congressional hearings in April.
One Kennedy ally didn't mince words, telling Politico that Kennedy "is more of a figurehead," while Klomp functions as the real chief operating officer.
"Chris Klomp has been unbelievable, a real star," the president said in April. "You don't know his name as much as some of the others, but he's a real star of the group."
But not everyone is impressed. A former senior HHS official told Politico that Klomp was undermining Kennedy and making unilateral personnel calls. "He's out of control trying to fire people," the former official said, claiming Kennedy wasn't even aware of some of his moves.
Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles is reportedly "mesmerized by Klomp" after Dr. Oz — his first boss at HHS — vouched heavily for him. "Oz would say he's a genius," the former official said.
HHS pushed back on the figurehead characterization, calling it "demonstrably false" and insisting Kennedy "is actively engaged in the decisions shaping HHS." An administration official told Politico Klomp "doesn't make decisions without the secretary's sign-off."