6 hours ago
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US president Donald
Trump's health secretary pick
,RFK jr. on Thursday brushed off the
sexual assault allegations
during his confirmation hearing and said that he apogised to the accuser 'for something else.'
Last year, a woman, who worked as a live-in nanny for Robert F Kennedy Jr, accused him of groping her when she was 23.
Kennedy, a member of one of America’s most reputed political dynasties, said he had no memory of the alleged assault but apologized to the woman “for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable.”
During the hearing, Democratic senators grilled RFK jr on his past
anti-vaccine comments
, his promotion of misinformation on health issues, and his knowledge of the US healthcare system, including Medicare and Medicaid.
During the hearing, Kennedy claimed that he was not anti-vaccine and only supports more stringent studies and safety tests.
Kennedy said that he supported the current childhood vaccination schedule and insisted he was not a conspiracy theorist.
"That's a pejorative that's applied to me to keep me from asking difficult questions about powerful interests," he told senators.
"I think some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they're causing. There's no vaccine that is safe and effective," he added.
During the hearing, RFK jr. also defended himself over his criticism of processed food in US and promised to scrutinise chemical additives in food.
Kennedy said that he would work to remove the financial conflicts of interest in US agencies and the food industry.
"We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health," he told the committee.
He later clarified that he does not want to take away access to processed food for Americans.
"If you like a McDonald's cheeseburger or a Diet Coke - which my boss loves - you should be able to get them," he said, referencing Trump's well-known affinity for the American fast-food chain.
Kennedy, who previously stated that he was in favour of abortion rights, was asked about his stance on the issue by both Republican and Democratic senators.
Republican Senator James Lankford asked Kennedy whether he plans to bring back conscience protections for doctors who do not want to perform the procedure because of religious or moral beliefs.
Kenney responded by saying that forcing medical providers who believe abortion is murder to carry out the procedure "doesn't make any sense".
Michael Bennet, a Democratic senator, then asked Kennedy about his past comments, in which he expressed support for abortion rights and said that governments should not be involved in a woman's right to choose.
Kennedy started his response by saying: "I believe every abortion is a tragedy."
