Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., faced backlash on social media on Wednesday after a contentious line of questioning during a Senate Finance Committee hearing for President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Whitehouse, a former friend and law school classmate of Kennedy’s, listed concerns about Kennedy’s views on vaccinations, claiming that his skepticism of some vaccines was “scary” and that Americans would need to hear a “clear and trustworthy recantation” of his views. Whitehouse also accused Kennedy of being in a “deep hole” over his comments.
Conservatives quickly took to social media to criticize Whitehouse’s line of questioning, with many calling it “masterclass” and accusing the senator of using his time to lecture Kennedy instead of allowing him to respond.
“Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) beginning his confirmation ‘questioning’ of RFK Jr. by saying ‘I’m very experienced, so you’re just going to have to listen,’ then talking for 7 minutes nonstop is such a perfect picture of why Democrats are failing around the nation right now,” wrote Daily Signal columnist Tony Kinnett.
Others called out Whitehouse for his aggressive questioning style, with National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin labeling it a “droning monologue.”
The hearing follows a fierce campaign by advocacy groups to block Kennedy’s nomination due to his past skepticism of some vaccines.
