Lawmaker breaks down in tears telling own son's tragic story in attack on RFK Jr's controversial autism claims

Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan broke down in tears at the confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as lawmakers debated vaccine science.

Kennedy was appearing on Capitol Hill for a second confirmation hearing as senators decide whether they will confirm the controversial nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. 

The hearing delved into a wide range of issues that exposed a rift in the Republican party over vaccines while other lawmakers focused on Kennedy's past posts about 9/11 conspiracy theories. 

But the hearing took a dramatic turn when Hassan became visibly emotional addressing her colleagues as several backed studying the links between vaccines and autism. 

'You may not know that I am the proud mother of a 36-year-old young man with severe cerebral palsy,' Hassan said as her voice started to shake.

'And a day does not go by when I don’t think about what did I do when I was pregnant with him that might have caused the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life?' she said. 

'So please do not suggest that anybody in those body of either political party doesn’t want to know what the cause of autism is. You know how many friends I have with children with Autism?' she said fiercely.

She said the problem with Kennedy's response about what causes autism is that he re-litigates settled science. 

Hassan said because of it they cannot move forward and find out the actual cause of autism. 

'Mr. Kennedy, that first autism study rocked my world. And like every mother, I worried about whether in fact vaccine had done something to my son, and you know what, it was a tiny study of about 12 kids,' Hassan told Kennedy.

'And over time the scientific community studied and studied and studied and found that it was wrong. And the journal retracted the study, because sometimes science is wrong. We make progress,' she said.

Hassan told Kennedy when he continues to sow doubt about settle science it makes it 'impossible to move forward' and 'freezes us in place.'

Her remarks came as three Republicans in the committee Markwayne Mullin, Rand Paul and Tommy Tuberville openly questioned or rejected vaccines and one accused Democrats of attacking Kennedy because of politics over substance.

'I don't understand why my colleagues all of a sudden say we can't question science,' Mullin said. 

'It absolutely blows my mind that all of a sudden it's such shame that Bobby's sitting up here, he's questioning science because I guarantee you if he was sitting here, and he was going to be the secretary of HHS underneath the former President Biden...I would bet you, you guys would have his back 100 percent, and would enjoy the fact he's questioning science,' Mullin told Democrats.

'My god, if we didn't question science where would we be today?' Mullin asked. 

He raised concerns over vaccines and argued they should be question it and with the rise in autism 'why wouldn't we be looking at everything?'

Mullin suggested everyone in the room knows one person with a kid who suffers from autism. 

'And you guys are all saying that Bobby can't question it?' Mullin asked. 

He suggested they only oppose Kennedy because he was backed by Trump, and thanked Kennedy for questioning it. 

After the accusation, Hassan addressed the Oklahoma senator by name and noted that she has voted to confirm other Trump nominees before launching into her emotional story. 

But while some Republican lawmakers sowed doubt about vaccines, GOP Chairman Bill Cassidy, a physician, praised vaccinations and sounded alarms about Kennedy's stance. 

Cassidy talked about  his personal experience as a doctor and working to vaccinate children so they don't die from a disease preventible with a vaccine.   

He said Kennedy has a huge following and many trust him over a physician, so he needs to know what the nominee would do with their trust. 

Cassidy noted that Kennedy is telling senators he's pro-vaccine but it was not clear what he would tell parents and said Kennedy's past comments undermining vaccines concerns him. 

'Will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism?' Cassidy asked, noting multiple studies show vaccines do not cause autism. 

‘If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,’ Kennedy told him.

‘What concerns me is you cast doubt on some of these vaccines... but the data as been there a long time,' Cassidy said.

By the end of the hearing, Cassidy appeared to still be grappling with whether he would vote for Kennedy and suggested he looks at a preponderance of evidence to support vaccines while Kennedy pulls selective evidence to cast doubt. 

‘Does a 70, 71-year-old man who’s spend decades criticizing vaccines and who’s financial vested in finding fault with vaccines change his attitude and approach now that he’ll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?,' he asked.

'Will you continue as you have been or will you overturn a new leaf at 70?’ Cassidy continued. He said he still has to figure it out.

It was one of multiple times throughout the hearing where Kennedy skeptics raised concerns over his past comments and questioning of evidence or data.  

In another eye-popping moment from the hearing, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va) brought a poster that showed Kennedy's post from July 2024 in which he questioned 9/11.

'My take on 9/11: It’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t,’ the post read.

Kaine told Kennedy point blank 'we don’t need folks giving oxygen to conspiracy theories about 9/11' and asked the nominee why he decided to post about 9/11 conspiracy theories in 2024.

‘Senator, the dramatic drop in trust in our government,’ Kennedy said.

Kaine took issue with Kennedy also writing in the post ‘I won’t take sides on 9/11' and asked Kennedy if he finds it hard to tell in general what is a conspiracy theory and what is not.

‘My father told me when I was 13 years old, he told me people in authority lie, and that the job of a citizen in every democracy is to maintain a fierce skepticism of government authority,’ Kennedy said.