RFK Jr. Addresses Hit Piece
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing back hard against a New York Times report that questioned his management of the nation's largest health agency, accusing the newspaper of relying on disgruntled former employees and predetermined conclusions rather than objective reporting.
The dispute erupted after The New York Times published an article titled "Kennedy Shows Minimal Engagement With Vast Health Portfolio," which argued that Kennedy has taken a hands-off approach to many aspects of the Department of Health and Human Services while focusing heavily on a narrower set of personal priorities.
According to the report, Kennedy has shown limited involvement in the day-to-day management of the department and has concentrated much of his attention on issues such as food policy, pesticide exposure, and vaccine-related concerns. The article also highlighted criticism from current and former officials who claimed the secretary has remained detached from many of the department's senior staff and major operations.
Sheryl. Your article exemplifies the biased reporting we have come to expect from you and @nytimes. It was unfair, inimical, and inaccurate. All one needs to refute your argument is to glance at my publicly available calendar and to review my unprecedented list of accomplishments… https://t.co/IhD2qDRCo7
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) June 10, 2026
One focus of the article was Kennedy's response to the latest Ebola outbreak in Africa, which reportedly resulted in exposure concerns involving several Americans. The Times suggested that Kennedy's engagement with the situation reflected a broader pattern of limited involvement in departmental management.
Kennedy responded forcefully Wednesday in a lengthy post on X.
"In order to prove your preconceived case for my disengagement, you quote anonymous employees, some of whom I fired or who quit to avoid being fired," Kennedy wrote.
He accused the newspaper of constructing a narrative first and then searching for sources to support it.
"You had a preconceived thesis, and you set out to prove it," he added.
Kennedy also argued that the Times ignored significant reforms he claims to have implemented since taking over the department.
"When I took this job, the building was empty. About 90% of the employees were not coming to work," he wrote. "I changed that, but your newspaper never covers my reforms."
He further contrasted media scrutiny of his tenure with what he described as a lack of attention to the management practices of his predecessor.
"Nor did you cover the fact that my predecessor almost never showed up for work here during his four years in office," Kennedy said.
The HHS secretary reserved some of his strongest criticism for the paper's use of anonymous sources, arguing that reliance on unnamed officials reflected broader problems within modern journalism.
"Standards have devolved, and journalism is dead," Kennedy wrote. "The Times now employs propagandists."
The New York Times quickly defended its reporting.
In a statement, a spokesperson said the newspaper sought to examine Kennedy's leadership style amid numerous vacancies within HHS and concerns expressed by officials regarding his management approach.
The paper noted that Kennedy declined an interview request and did not respond directly to detailed questions before publication.
"The Times set out to examine Secretary Kennedy's leadership and management style in light of numerous vacancies within the Department of Health and Human Services and concerns internally about his detachment from key issues and officials," the spokesperson said.
The newspaper also stated that the article was based on conversations with roughly a dozen individuals who had worked directly with Kennedy during his tenure and said it stands by the reporting.