Bill Maher admits it ‘pains’ him to criticize RFK Jr, but says ‘he’s got to go’ after Senate hearing

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Real Time' host Bill Maher blasted Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, calling him “nutty” after his Senate Finance Committee hearing.

RFK Jr, who has been under fire for dismissing top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is facing new pressure from critics and staff alike.

Bill Maher 'very disappointed' with RFK Jr

Bill Maher said his disappointment was personal because he once supported RFK Jr’s approach to reform.

“I personally find this very disappointing because I am the person who was sympathetic to what [RFK Jr] was trying to do,” the comedian told his panel.

“I said, ‘Finally, we have a guy in there who cares about this stuff.’ But he’s also just nutty,” he added.

The late-night host also accused RFK Jr of going too far in his purge of the CDC, saying, “Okay, this needed a housecleaning, the CDC. But to fire all 17 of the top people? Now you don’t have that voice in there at all. You just have your voice,” Maher said. In June, the HHS secretary fired all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. 

He later concluded, “It’s just – he’s got to go,” adding that it “pains” him to say it because he likes RFK Jr. 

Kaitlan Collins says RFK Jr is at odds with Trump

RFK Jr is also facing calls to resign from more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees who signed a letter accusing him of stacking the agency with “political ideologues.”

Maher repeated that the HHS secretary “just does not listen,” saying, “And nothing ever – I call it pendulumism – nothing ever stops in the middle."

CNN's chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins pointed out that RFK Jr struggled during questions from both parties.

“The CDC has canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine research that they were doing,” Collins said.

She explained how RFK Jr got into a rather awkward position when Republicans pressed him on whether Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for vaccine development, while also asking if he believed those vaccines saved lives.

“This disconnect puts Kennedy at odds with Trump,” the journalist said, before adding that the 71-year-old is still “as safe as he can get” in his role unless the president changes course, since many Senate Republicans backed his confirmation.

Stephen Moore backs RFK Jr on FDA drug approvals

On the other hand, Stephen Moore, a former Donald Trump campaign economic advisor, defended RFK Jr's position on loosening FDA rules.

"When new drugs are being developed, we should let these drugs go to the market, especially if they’re dealing with cancer or heart disease or multiple sclerosis,” Moore said.

He added, “The FDA holds these things up by five to 10 years, and it’s actually killing people."