Sen. Hassan Grills RFK Jr. on Vaccine Skeptic's Role in HHS Autism Research

Allegations Against David Geyer

• ⚠️ Senator Hassan questioned Secretary Kennedy about David Geyer's alleged role in autism research at HHS, citing a Maryland investigation.
• 💡 The investigation found Geyer, who lacks a medical license, provided hormone blocker injections to children with autism as young as 8, posing a substantial risk of harm.
• 🎯 Hassan stated Geyer fraudulently posed as a doctor and administered dangerous medications.

RFK Jr.'s Defense and Clarification

• 🚫 Secretary Kennedy denied hiring Geyer to manage autism research at HHS, calling Hassan's statements untrue and defamatory.
• 🗣️ Kennedy stated Geyer was hired by an independent contractor, not as an HHS employee, to review the CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD).
• 🔍 Geyer's role was to examine the VSD to see if information conformed with what he observed between 2002 and 2016, due to concerns about missing data.

Disputed Findings and Court Rulings

• ⚖️ Kennedy asserted that a court overturned the Maryland Board of Physicians' findings against Geyer, awarding him $5 million and finding the board guilty of actual malice and fabricating charges.
• 📢 Hassan countered that the court ruling did not change the findings or the experiences of parents who testified, and planned to submit the Maryland board's findings for the record.
• ❓ Hassan pressed for confirmation that Geyer is still at HHS and requested a response to a letter sent months prior regarding his employment.

Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Access

• 📊 The VSD is described as a crucial vaccine safety database managed by the CDC, involving major HMOs for surveillance.
• 🔒 Historically, the CDC has restricted access to the VSD for independent physicians and scientists.
• 📜 Congress ordered the CDC to open the VSD, and Geyer is presented by Kennedy as the only living independent scientist who has accessed it, highlighting concerns about potential fraud and missing information.