A high-profile anti-vaxxer clashed with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) during a hearing on Tuesday after Blumenthal accused him of sharing heated rhetoric about vaccines ahead of the shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August.
Robert Malone, whom the New York Times noted "spreads falsehoods about vaccines," disrupted a hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on Tuesday to respond to claims made about him. After the hearing concluded, Malone skulked around the witness table and talked loudly to the witnesses.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) then swore Malone in and allowed him to respond to claims made against him.
One claim that Malone responded to was whether a post on his Substack, Malone.News, that contained a meme suggesting vaccines are similar to the game of Russian Roulette could have inspired the shooter to attack the CDC.
"The post that you did had consequences," Blumenthal, who made the initial claim against Malone, said during the hearing.
"In your mind!" Malone interrupted.
"I'm sorry?" Blumenthal replied.
"In your mind," Malone repeated. "You made an interpretation about the post. The bulk of Americans recognize humor."
Malone's post was published on Aug. 8, the same day that a gunman fired 180 rounds at the CDC campus in Atlanta, Georgia. PBS reported that the shooter wanted to send a message about COVID-19 vaccines.
"That's a pretty threatening post, I would say," Blumenthal said.
"If you think that's threatening, then you haven't watched Netflix," Malone replied.
