Kennedy's "MAHA transition team" Features Anti-Vaccine Advocates
At least three informal advisers linked to the anti-vaccine movement are helping Kennedy assemble his team as he gets ready to take the helm of HHS.
TroibNews 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is bringing on associates with strong ties to anti-vaccine organizations to assist in vetting and interviewing candidates for senior positions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), despite his attempts to publicly distance himself from the movement he once championed.
Sources familiar with the situation and documents reviewed by PMG indicate that at least three informal advisers linked to the anti-vaccine movement are aiding Kennedy in forming his staff as he readies himself to head HHS. This suggests a continued strong connection between Kennedy and the anti-vaccine movement, which could play a significant role within the nation's primary health agency if he is confirmed as secretary.
A spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team emphasized to PMG that various ideological groups are providing input on personnel, with no guarantee that candidates interviewed by Kennedy's allies will be hired. The spokesperson stated, “Mr. Kennedy is soliciting resumes from a wide spectrum of individuals to submit into the formalized process that President Trump has set up to staff his administration. Mr. Kennedy serves at the pleasure of the President, and all appointees will be thoroughly vetted, hired and offered jobs by President Trump.”
However, the presence of anti-vaccine activists could complicate Kennedy’s attempts to alleviate concerns regarding his views on vaccines and secure Senate confirmation.
An email obtained by PMG revealed that Kennedy ally Kim Haine reached out to a potential candidate for a top HHS position, introducing herself as part of the “[Make America Healthy Again] transition team.” Haine is the president of the Hawaii chapter of Children’s Health Defense, a major anti-vaccine organization that Kennedy led until his resignation in 2023 to run for president. She also spearheaded efforts to get Kennedy on the ballot in Hawaii earlier this year, stating, “Our transition team would like to gauge your interest in helping advance our MAHA initiatives.”
Haine did not respond to inquiries regarding her role.
Additionally, Kennedy's team for vetting resumes and conducting interviews includes Del Bigtree, a well-known anti-vaccine advocate and leader of Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), along with Aaron Siri, an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases who has provided significant legal assistance to Bigtree’s ICAN. Siri has been actively involved in the vetting process, specializing in contesting COVID vaccine mandates, and has also acted as Kennedy’s personal lawyer.
A public health leader familiar with the situation described the transition’s reliance on employees from Children’s Health Defense for candidate vetting as "disturbing," expressing concern that “a litmus test is being applied to candidates on one issue: vaccine skepticism.” This leader voiced worries about the involvement of a nonprofit focused on a single issue in assessing candidates for complex public health roles.
While assembling his advisory team, Kennedy is simultaneously trying to publicly minimize the significance of his past anti-vaccine stance. Having previously suggested a link between vaccines and autism and labeling the COVID-19 vaccine as “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” he recently denied being anti-vaccine and asserted he would not attempt to eliminate vaccines during his tenure in the Trump administration. "I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them," he told NBC News shortly after Trump's election.
Since his selection to lead HHS, Kennedy has operated an informal team within the wider Trump transition, relying on advisers to review resumes and assist with interviews prior to submitting recommendations to higher Trump officials. His daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, has been managing logistical tasks and coordinating input from various sources.
Kennedy’s team includes alumni from his previous presidential campaign, such as Fox Kennedy and former press secretary Stefanie Spear, alongside additional friends and associates. Notably, Bigtree played a role as the communications director for Kennedy's campaign.
Advisers Calley and Casey Means, wellness influencers associated with Kennedy's ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, have also been integral to his team. Kennedy seeks extensive influence over personnel decisions not only for HHS but across other agencies, amidst a transition process that remains unpredictable and disorganized, with Trump poised to make sudden changes.
Kennedy’s allies resisted efforts from other transition advisers to appoint former first-term deputy chief of staff Paul Mango to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. In a surprising move, Trump appointed celebrity physician Mehmet Oz to lead the significant agency responsible for health coverage for over 150 million Americans.
Several key health positions, including heads of the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, remain unfilled, but Kennedy’s associates are viewed as potential frontrunners for these roles.
Adding to the chaotic nature of the transition process, Trump's team has opted out of traditional federal transition resources, including FBI background checks, instead favoring a private vetting approach for Cabinet nominees and lower-level positions. Their decision to forgo ethics and transparency agreements with the White House and other agencies means they are not required to disclose funding sources, raising alarms among watchdog organizations and former government officials about possible conflicts of interest.
Daniel Payne contributed to this report.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Sources familiar with the situation and documents reviewed by PMG indicate that at least three informal advisers linked to the anti-vaccine movement are aiding Kennedy in forming his staff as he readies himself to head HHS. This suggests a continued strong connection between Kennedy and the anti-vaccine movement, which could play a significant role within the nation's primary health agency if he is confirmed as secretary.
A spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team emphasized to PMG that various ideological groups are providing input on personnel, with no guarantee that candidates interviewed by Kennedy's allies will be hired. The spokesperson stated, “Mr. Kennedy is soliciting resumes from a wide spectrum of individuals to submit into the formalized process that President Trump has set up to staff his administration. Mr. Kennedy serves at the pleasure of the President, and all appointees will be thoroughly vetted, hired and offered jobs by President Trump.”
However, the presence of anti-vaccine activists could complicate Kennedy’s attempts to alleviate concerns regarding his views on vaccines and secure Senate confirmation.
An email obtained by PMG revealed that Kennedy ally Kim Haine reached out to a potential candidate for a top HHS position, introducing herself as part of the “[Make America Healthy Again] transition team.” Haine is the president of the Hawaii chapter of Children’s Health Defense, a major anti-vaccine organization that Kennedy led until his resignation in 2023 to run for president. She also spearheaded efforts to get Kennedy on the ballot in Hawaii earlier this year, stating, “Our transition team would like to gauge your interest in helping advance our MAHA initiatives.”
Haine did not respond to inquiries regarding her role.
Additionally, Kennedy's team for vetting resumes and conducting interviews includes Del Bigtree, a well-known anti-vaccine advocate and leader of Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), along with Aaron Siri, an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases who has provided significant legal assistance to Bigtree’s ICAN. Siri has been actively involved in the vetting process, specializing in contesting COVID vaccine mandates, and has also acted as Kennedy’s personal lawyer.
A public health leader familiar with the situation described the transition’s reliance on employees from Children’s Health Defense for candidate vetting as "disturbing," expressing concern that “a litmus test is being applied to candidates on one issue: vaccine skepticism.” This leader voiced worries about the involvement of a nonprofit focused on a single issue in assessing candidates for complex public health roles.
While assembling his advisory team, Kennedy is simultaneously trying to publicly minimize the significance of his past anti-vaccine stance. Having previously suggested a link between vaccines and autism and labeling the COVID-19 vaccine as “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” he recently denied being anti-vaccine and asserted he would not attempt to eliminate vaccines during his tenure in the Trump administration. "I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them," he told NBC News shortly after Trump's election.
Since his selection to lead HHS, Kennedy has operated an informal team within the wider Trump transition, relying on advisers to review resumes and assist with interviews prior to submitting recommendations to higher Trump officials. His daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, has been managing logistical tasks and coordinating input from various sources.
Kennedy’s team includes alumni from his previous presidential campaign, such as Fox Kennedy and former press secretary Stefanie Spear, alongside additional friends and associates. Notably, Bigtree played a role as the communications director for Kennedy's campaign.
Advisers Calley and Casey Means, wellness influencers associated with Kennedy's ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, have also been integral to his team. Kennedy seeks extensive influence over personnel decisions not only for HHS but across other agencies, amidst a transition process that remains unpredictable and disorganized, with Trump poised to make sudden changes.
Kennedy’s allies resisted efforts from other transition advisers to appoint former first-term deputy chief of staff Paul Mango to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. In a surprising move, Trump appointed celebrity physician Mehmet Oz to lead the significant agency responsible for health coverage for over 150 million Americans.
Several key health positions, including heads of the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, remain unfilled, but Kennedy’s associates are viewed as potential frontrunners for these roles.
Adding to the chaotic nature of the transition process, Trump's team has opted out of traditional federal transition resources, including FBI background checks, instead favoring a private vetting approach for Cabinet nominees and lower-level positions. Their decision to forgo ethics and transparency agreements with the White House and other agencies means they are not required to disclose funding sources, raising alarms among watchdog organizations and former government officials about possible conflicts of interest.
Daniel Payne contributed to this report.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
