**Kennedy's Anti-Vaccine Ties Stir Controversy in HHS Appointment**

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing scrutiny as he prepares to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) due to his enlistment of advisers with strong connections to anti-vaccine organizations. Despite efforts to distance himself from the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy has tapped at least three informal advisers linked to the movement to help fill senior roles at HHS. This has raised concerns about the potential influence of anti-vaccine rhetoric within the nation's leading health agency, according to sources and documents obtained by POLITICO.

A spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump's transition team emphasized that diverse groups are offering input on personnel, and there is no assurance that any candidates vetted by Kennedy's allies will be appointed. “Mr. Kennedy is soliciting resumes from a wide spectrum of individuals to submit into the formalized process that President Trump has set up to staff his administration,” the spokesperson said, asserting that all appointees will be thoroughly vetted by President Trump.

Nevertheless, the involvement of anti-vaccine activists in the vetting process complicates Kennedy's path to Senate confirmation. Kim Haine, president of the Hawaii chapter of Children's Health Defense, is among those assisting with interviews. Despite stepping down as chair of the anti-vaccine group in 2023 to run for president, Kennedy's continued reliance on such associations is sparking concern.

Key figures involved in the vetting process include Del Bigtree, head of the anti-vaccine organization Informed Consent Action Network, and Aaron Siri, a vaccine injury attorney deeply involved in challenging Covid vaccine mandates. Both have played significant roles in assisting Kennedy, leading to criticism from public health leaders.

Kennedy's efforts to minimize his history of vaccine skepticism face further challenges as he works within an often chaotic and unstructured transition process. The Trump administration's refusal to utilize federal transition resources, such as FBI background checks, and the lack of signed ethics agreements have only added to concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest.

While Kennedy aims to influence key hires across HHS and other health agencies, the final selection remains uncertain and subject to change by President Trump. Major roles, including the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are still vacant, with Kennedy’s allies anticipated to be front-runners for these positions.