RFK Jr. stunned after emotionally-charged testimony from senator over discredited autism claims

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The second day of the tumultuous confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., became emotional on Thursday when New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan brought up how autism vaccine studies had impacted her family and decried claims that concerns over his nomination were driven by partisan intent. open image in gallery New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan questions Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as he appears before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Hassan became emotional when speaking to Kennedy about her son on Wednesday “And, a day does not go by when I don’t think about, ‘What did I do when I was pregnant with him that might have caused the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life,” she told Kennedy, in tears. “Do you know how many friends with children who have autism?” The senator accused Kennedy of “re-litigating and churning settled science” so “we can’t go forward” and find out the cause. When asked Thursday if he would say “unequivocally and without qualification” that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism, Kennedy said he would “if the data is there.” “If the data’s brought to you — and these studies that have been out there for quite some time and have been peer-reviewed — and it shows that these two vaccines are not associated with autism, will you ask, 'No, I need even more?