RFK Jr. Makes Appointments To Immunization Committee

In a dramatic reconfiguration of the CDC’s vaccine policy apparatus, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the appointment of eight new members to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — including the polarizing figure Dr. Robert Malone, a virologist widely credited with foundational work on mRNA vaccine technology.

The announcement, made Wednesday via social media, follows Kennedy’s sweeping dismissal of all 17 existing members of ACIP earlier this week. Citing entrenched conflicts of interest and a history of what he described as “corruption,” Kennedy declared the move a step toward restoring public trust in vaccine policymaking.

Dr. Malone, once lauded for his role in developing the platform that underpins COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, has since become one of their most vocal critics. He gained national attention in 2021 after questioning the safety and regulatory rigor behind the vaccines’ rollout — a stance that led to his suspension from Twitter.

“I do believe that the short cuts that the USG have taken... have been detrimental,” Malone wrote in a now-archived post from that year. Despite the controversy, Malone expressed gratitude for his appointment, stating, “I will do my best to serve with unbiased objectivity and rigor.”

Joining Malone are several other figures known for questioning mainstream pandemic policies:

• Dr. Martin Kulldorff, co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated focused protection over mass lockdowns.

• Dr. Cody Meissner, former FDA advisory committee member who co-authored an op-ed with Dr. Marty Makary against child mask mandates.

• Dr. Retsef Levi, Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, Dr. James Pagano, Dr. Michael A. Ross, and Dr. Vicky Pebsworth, all of whom share backgrounds in medicine and public health, with some having openly expressed concern over past public health guidance.

These new members are set to attend the upcoming June 25 ACIP meeting, where they will begin deliberations with a new mandate: according to Kennedy, they have committed to demanding robust safety and efficacy data before recommending new vaccines.

The overhaul is part of Kennedy’s broader campaign to reform vaccine policy with greater public accountability. This includes the launch of a new tool designed to reveal financial ties between CDC advisory board members and the pharmaceutical industry — a longstanding concern among critics of U.S. health agencies.

Kennedy’s post on X this Tuesday further accused ACIP of “historical corruption,” pointing to documented financial entanglements that he claims compromised the objectivity of previous recommendations.