RFK Jr Faces Backlash Over Letter Pressing Journal on Retracted Vaccine-Study Decision

Rober F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, is confronting criticism after pressing a medical journal for details surrounding its removal of a paper suggesting a link between vaccines and infant death.

Public health advocates condemned Kennedy’s outreach as an apparent attempt to influence the editorial process. Toxicology Reports removed the study earlier this year, stating it contained such significant methodological flaws that publication posed risks to patients and public health. The journal outlined its decision in a detailed notice replacing the original paper.

In his letter, posted publicly on Monday, Kennedy requested answers from Toxicology Reports’ editor by June 25 regarding how the retraction decision was reached, including naming the experts involved in the review. Legal and science policy experts responded sharply, questioning whether the inquiry crossed ethical lines.

Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco, wrote that Kennedy appeared to be pressuring the journal in ways that could infringe on its editorial independence. Meanwhile, Dr. David Gorski, an oncologist who tracks anti-vaccine advocacy, noted the contradiction in Kennedy’s stance, pointing out that Kennedy has publicly championed free speech while allegedly leveraging official authority to shape editorial outcomes.

The controversy emerged shortly after The Guardian reported on the journal’s action. Kennedy’s letter came amid broader scrutiny over his role in shaping vaccine policy using studies now discredited. An HHS official said Kennedy had not directed the journal to retract or alter any articles, framing the engagement as routine inquiry rather than coercion.

Elsevier, the journal’s publisher, previously told The Guardian that the study’s conclusions — specifically tying vaccinations to sudden infant death syndrome — carried clinical risks if applied in practice. The investigation leading to retraction was led by Toxicology Reports’ editorial team following complaints filed as early as 2021.

The study’s author, Neil Z Miller, has defended his methodology and rejected the journal’s characterization of flaws. He expressed hope that Kennedy’s inquiry would ensure future retractions are not driven by controversy alone. In contrast, reviewers have called the study irredeemably flawed, with one scientist describing it as “garbage” throughout.

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