The claim
“Senator Bernie Sanders confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his rejection of germ theory at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.”
Reporting on a Senate HELP Committee hearing with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Our verdict
True
Sanders pressed Kennedy on germ theory at an April 2026 HELP Committee hearing, and Senator Cassidy rebutted Kennedy's cited studies.
What we found
Ars Technica reported that Sanders asked Kennedy whether he still denied core claims of germ theory, which Kennedy questioned in his 2021 book. Kennedy cited studies that Senator Bill Cassidy then read out to show they did not support him. We could only access reposts of the report, not a transcript.
The evidence
- Supports the claim
A repost of Ars Technica's report describes Sanders confronting Kennedy on germ theory and Cassidy rebutting him. [1]
How we checked
We checked the claim against Ars Technica (repost). We reviewed 1 relevant source.
Sources
- [1]Ars Technica (repost) · RFK Jr.'s rejection of germ theory debunked in Senate hearing
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