‘He is a quack scientist’: Gov. Green criticizes pick of RFK Jr. for key Trump administration position

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Following President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, some government and medical officials are raising alarms over the decision — including Hawaii’s governor.
Governor Josh Green called Kennedy the worst possible choice for HHS Secretary, saying his anti-vaccine rhetoric led to a measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 children and would endanger children’s health in the U.S.
“What he will do is he will cast out on vaccination programs across America. That will mean thousands and then millions of people will consider not getting vaccinated. We will not have herd immunity, and physicians like myself and pediatricians and all sorts of other healthcare providers will see cataclysmic spread of disease,” Green said in an interview on CNN.
He added, “This is a gentleman who has absolutely no training in public health, no experience in public health, nor does he have any experience in biopharmacologic processes either. He is a quack scientist.”
Governor Green pulled no punches, saying if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is put in charge of the nation’s health system, children and vulnerable populations will suffer.
“Children’s lives are on the line. We already have challenges in some parts of America where we have lower rates of vaccination, and if you dip below a certain threshold, like they did in Samoa and had that terrible outbreak, you’ll see fatalities, or you’ll see spread of disease, not just like measles, mumps and rubella. You’ll see polio and you’ll see a polio resurgence,” Green said in a second interview on CNN.
If confirmed as HHS secretary, Kennedy would oversee a $2 trillion dollar budget and 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration. National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Critics worry about the spread of medical misinformation under Kennedy.
“It makes parents scared. When parents are scared, they don’t take action,” Green said.
Dale Kobayashi — a former Democratic state representative from Manoa and long-time friend of Kennedy — says Green’s comments about Kennedy are overblown.
“To say that that is really a direct outcome of what is his appointment is really quite a reach,” said Kobayashi, who says the environmental lawyer promotes vaccine choice and healthcare freedom — beliefs Kobayashi shares after he said a smallpox vaccination put him into a coma as a child.
“He’s about so much more. You sit down and talk to him. He’s a really smart guy. He’s a fighter, and he fights for a lot of things. One was for the rights of people who made medical choices. But he’s also been largely a critic of the food industrial complex, food additives, a lot of health issues that are controlled by moneyed interests that he has the guts to stand up against,” Kobayashi said.
The chair of the Hawaii Republican Party calls Kennedy a good choice with supporters on both sides of the aisle and can bring transparency and higher health standards to food in America.
“If he is a person who has a true concern for the American people, why would we not embrace this on all aisles?” said chair Tamara McKay. “Because this affects all people of every party line, every demographic, and we need to be working together on what’s in the best interest, in the safety of the people of this country.”
Kennedy’s nomination is pending Senate approval, but is expected to be challenged by powerful pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies.

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