Rep. Ruiz questions RFK Jr. role in ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Commission report

WASHINGTON DC (KESQ) - Local Democratic Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz joined other lawmakers on Tuesday in pressing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over his role in a "Make America Healthy Again" Commission report.

The lawmakers had questions about the Commission's release of a report which Congressman Ruiz asserts is riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation.

The conversation between Ruiz and Kennedy, Jr. in part went as follows:

Rep. Raul Ruiz:
"Secretary Kennedy, you're listed as the chair of the commission. Did you read the report and fact check its sources prior to publication? Did you read the reports and did you yourself fact check them, sir?"

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:
"I did not fact check them."

Rep. Raul Ruiz:
"Why then, as has been widely reported, sir, I'm speaking. Why then did the report include citations to sources that don't even exist. How does that happen under your leadership, sir?"

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:
"All of the foundational assertions in that report are accurate."

Rep. Raul Ruiz:
"They did not exist. How can they be accurate if they did not exist, sir?"

The exchange came during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing, on which Congressman Ruiz serves.

The subject report was commissioned by the Trump administration to examine the causes of chronic illness, though as Ruiz asserted, the report suggests some of the studies cited may have been either mischaracterized, or appear to not exist in the journals from which they were cited.

In response, Kennedy, Jr. saying, "All of the foundational assertions in that report are accurate," and of the citations in question, conceding that "some of the citations were messed up for one day."