This piece is from 2023, but it is pretty relevant right now.
RFK Jr. has propagated conspiracy theories that threaten public health, national security, and societal cohesion. Here's what else you should know. infoepi.org/posts/2023/07-…
RFK Jr. has propagated conspiracy theories that threaten public health, national security, and societal cohesion. Here's what else you should know. infoepi.org/posts/2023/07-…
In recent years, his website has increasingly developed ties to websites that have either been sanctioned for ties to Russian intelligence or election interference. home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Examples: Strategic Culture, sanctioned for its connections to Russian intel and Global Research, described by the State Dept as a “Canadian website that has become deeply enmeshed in Russia’s broader disinformation and propaganda ecosystem."
This is not OK for a government official. Global Research was a partner of Strategic Culture. Strategic Culture was a partner of the Russian MFA (International Affairs). Global Research has also partnered with SouthFront, another outlet connected to Russian intelligence.
These outlets have platformed and published content from Children’s Health Defense, which is also organically popular. Adversaries see value here. In his new role, he could be all the more impactful. See the CISA list again. This website is on it, too.
web.archive.org/web/2020100522…
web.archive.org/web/2020100522…
This relationship appears to go both ways. RFK's website has republished and he has repeated overtly false claims from the Kremlin. There is no speculation. I do not claim intent, and to be frank, it doesn't matter.
web.archive.org/web/2020080919…
web.archive.org/web/2020080919…
He is either so naive as to be a danger to the country, or he is willful. It does not matter which. web.archive.org/web/2022051821…
His lack of qualification and hubris could be lethal for the US even without malice. The connections needed for him to become a further vector of malign influence already exist. web.archive.org/web/2019100221…
RFK Jr. has co-authored pieces with known Russian propagandists--people who, like Tulsi Gabbard, have denied the Assad regime used chemical weapons on civilians. None of this is speculation. Please check my receipts. axios.com/2022/08/09/rus…
You may not know that Russia and China use statements made by RFK Jr., who has all the prestige of a Kennedy, to discourage countries from collaborating with the US on global health initiatives.
infoepi.org/posts/2024/03/…
infoepi.org/posts/2024/03/…
Russia and China use his words to convince people that things like malaria prevention are biological weapons testing.
The goal is to push the US out. Stable countries with strong friends are harder to corrupt and control. They've used this tactic for decades. infoepi.org/posts/2023/11/…
The goal is to push the US out. Stable countries with strong friends are harder to corrupt and control. They've used this tactic for decades. infoepi.org/posts/2023/11/…
In 1982, a campaign in Pakistan accused the US of testing bioweapons on locals, leading to the expulsion of US scientists.
nytimes.com/1982/02/10/wor…
nytimes.com/1982/02/10/wor…
The United States eliminated malaria in 1951 and was well-positioned to assist with effective approaches in Pakistan. But, believing we meant them harm, Pakistan ejected the scientists.
The data show that adults and children in the region continued to suffer and/or die from malaria for an additional twenty years.
Years of life lost was the steep price of disinformation, believed, along with the loss of an investment worth 10.2 billion US dollars today.
Years of life lost was the steep price of disinformation, believed, along with the loss of an investment worth 10.2 billion US dollars today.
These lies have killed people. Who else do we know that has repeated the blatantly false claims about biological weapons?
RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. They have directly repeated the Kremlin's claims. Meanwhile, the scientists RFK Jr. so often maligns had to deal with the consequences. These two are nominees for some of the most important offices in our country and, consequently, the world.
Much of the concern about foreign influence in the US has always been way too focused on US citizens as targets and not concerned enough about third-party countries, where we can find evidence that many preventable deaths followed broken relationships.
I have spent time looking backward, trying to quantify the cost of instances like this, but few people have. Until we understand the steep cost of lives lost, we will never take this problem seriously. And it will keep working, just as it has since the 1940s.
It will hurt the US and partner countries if these two continue making false claims. As you have likely learned, infectious diseases do not respect borders.
They will boost the credibility of at least two ongoing efforts to break US relations. state.gov/the-kremlins-e…
They will boost the credibility of at least two ongoing efforts to break US relations. state.gov/the-kremlins-e…
While the consequences of this happening in the past may seem abstract, these were people who needlessly suffered or died. The primary harm RFK Jr. may do is to the poorest and most vulnerable people on earth.
Do not let them do this. They are not qualified or experienced, and many people will suffer because of it. wsj.com/world/africa/r…
This will likely be my last thread on Twitter. If you wish to keep following me, you can find me here. I used to love chatting with you all. Perhaps we can find a place to do so again.
Goodbye, my friends, colleagues, tweeps, and especially fellow Americans.
Goodbye, my friends, colleagues, tweeps, and especially fellow Americans.
https://twitter.com/3882596779/status/1856006297315086597
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