Legal experts respond to the Dilemma of Conflict of Interest of RFK JR with drug manufacturers
In the midst of surveillance over the promise of Robert F. Kennedy younger that they will convey their financial interest in lawsuits to their family, legal experts have criticized the move, but keep in mind that Kennedy’s approach is not significantly distinguished from actions that have been taken by other public in the past officers.
During Kennedy’s Certificate Last week, The potential next secretary of health and human services was examined for his financial stake in lawsuits for personal injuries related to vaccines, especially his relationship with the lawsuit against the Merck pharmaceutical company and his Cervical Cancer Cancer vaccine Gardasil. While Kennedy initially undertaken to leave his share against Merck, he revealed a course in a written response to MPs’ questions after hearing, noting that he would change his lien and “will take away my interest in any such litigation through a task on the task my non-vigilant, adult son. “
While some legal experts We claimed that the move was not far enough to abolish potential conflicts for Kennedy, others say that this approach is similar to what took over several other public officials who found themselves in a similar situation. In the meantime, one legal expert has suggested Fox News Digital that passing from Kennedy to his son is “more than enough to fulfill any ethical problems.”
Picture of a candidate for secretaries HHS -A RFK JR. Directed by the bottle of tablets made by medication producers. (East/Getty)
“This could be in line with ordinary issues of conflict of interest,” said Jim Copland, director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute. “I just don’t mean the head Department of Health and Human Services Was any job involved in any way with a lawsuit against Merck. ”
The collaborative legal expert in Manhattan Ilya Shapiro said he was not sure if Kennedy’s move would be enough to avoid any real conflict, but he added that he recognized “this is not unusual in the light of past examples.”
Both Democrats and Republicans used the family to protect themselves from Ethics complaints about their personal affairs, with the former President Joe Biden Since the recent and notable example were after years of investigation into his family affairs found by both his son and brother were involved in risky business relations with foreign subjects, such as China. Biden repeatedly denied his participation in these business jobs.
The questions are still revolted around former President Joe Biden and whether his office was used for the financial benefit of his son Hunter and brothers James and Frank. (Getty Images)
Former Nancy Pelosi House Similarly, he tried to defend his family’s business jobs after it was revealed that her husband was making money invested in companies that had a job in front of his wife. In response to reporters’ questions about whether she agreed with the efforts to ban her spouses of federal legislation to trade in shares, Pelosi replied that “they should be able to participate in this.”
Other notable figures that used their families to protect their personal affairs, include the president Donald Trump, who gave control of his Trump’s business empire to his sons, and the late senator Dianne Feinstein, whose husband of investor, Richard Blum, managed investments through his Blum Capital Partners companies, who often intersected his wife while in the congress.
Then the speaker of Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The Trump-Skilled Group puts pressure on Republican senators to confirm RFK JR.
“My opinion is that RFK, JR. Plan to transfer any financial share in possible Vaccine injuries His son is more than enough to fulfill any ethical care, “Hans von Pakovsky, a senior legal associate in the heritage foundation, told Fox News Digital.” This is particularly true because of the limitations imposed on the Federal Law on any requirements made against the bargain manufacturers who seriously limit the possible compensation to all who claim that the vaccine is somehow defective. “
Pakovsky claimed that a program for damages of the federal government of national damage, which forbids civic litigation against drug manufacturers and instead directs the federal government to manage any payments of vaccine injury, is used to relieve the impact Kennedy could potentially have to pay for injuries against vaccines .
“RFK would have no authority [over this program]”He said.” The point is that all this is so excluded by RFK, a potential stop of the Cabinet Jr. -And if confirmed, that everyone who says it is a “serious” ethical problem is wrong. “
Activists participate in a press conference on the Supreme Court reform outside the capitol on May 2, 2023.
Copland, who agreed with Pakovsky that the vaccine compensation program reduces much of the benefits of Kennedy, said RFK JR. He could still benefit indirectly.
“I think it’s more a worrying conflict of interest than just saying, ‘Oh, you own a lot of capital for a company that could accidentally benefit you know,” Copland said. “I mean, if you had a a Minister of Defense Minister who was the executive director of the Great Military Contractor, and then it conveys to his son, I think you would still have concern about this for the obvious conflict of interest, which is different from a kind of usual, “Oh, I own a company, and by chance it will benefit from government. “
RFK JR spent weekend talking to a key senator who could make or interrupt his certificate
Fox News Legal Analyst Andy McCarthy was more critical of Kennedy’s decision to transfer his financial interests to his son, noting that the fact that he “struggled to get a scheme to keep his share, instead of making apparently leaving the abandonment properly, emphasizes that he is that makes a conflict of interest. “
“The comparison with the transmission of family assets in other contexts is unattainable and, in any case, misses the point,” McCarthy said. “Whatever one thinks about the arrangements of President Trump in connection with his family business, voters knew about the job and he was elected by the President anyway unable to distract from executive decisions on the basis of a conflict of interest. As opposed to, Kennedy was not ‘T chose anyone. “
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McCarthy added that after years “justifiably complaining that President Biden was corrupt enriched with paying … who made his son and brother,” it’s hard to believe ” Republicans It can close a view of the financial share, which would create a significant conflict between interest in RFK JR. As a secretary of HHS, on the pretext that he plans to convey the stake to his son. “
