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A2 u.s. news
Monday 3 February 2025
Pro-RFK Jr. letter to the Senate includes names of doctors whose

licenses were revoked or suspended

By MICHELLE R. SMITH trademark for the “MAHA”
Associated Press slogan to an limited liability
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — company run by Bigtree.
A letter submitted to the Kennedy reported that he
U.S. Senate that states it received $100,000 in in-
was sent by physicians in come from licensing the
support of Robert F. Ken- slogan and said in his finan-
nedy Jr.’s nomination as cial disclosures that he had
secretary of Health and transferred the trademark
Human Services includes for “no compensation.”
the names of doctors who MAHA stands for “Make
have had their licenses America Healthy Again,”
revoked, suspended or a play on President Donald
faced other discipline, The Trump’s “Make America
Associated Press has found. Great Again.”
The letter was meant to Emma Post, a MAHA Ac-
lend credibility to Kenne- tion spokesperson, said
dy’s nomination, which has in an email that the letter
faced strenuous opposition Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and was “shared and circulat-
from medical experts due Human Services, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions ed organically in a grass-
to his two decades of anti- hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. roots manner with explicit
vaccine activism. Republi- Associated Press instructions that it was for
can Sen. Bill Cassidy of Lou- website of an effort he cre- expressed hesitancy about The AP found that in addi- physicians only to sign on
isiana, a medical doctor ated to vaccinate 36,000 Kennedy’s nomination and tion to the physicians who to.” She did not address the
who boasts on his official children against hepatitis B, is seen as a key vote. had faced disciplinary ac- AP’s questions about what
tion, many of the nearly further steps the group took
800 signers are not doctors. to verify credentials, if any.
The letter with the names Bigtree and Kennedy did
of those who signed was not return messages seek-
provided to the AP by Sen. ing comment. A White
Ron Johnson’s office af- House spokesman, Kush
ter he entered it into the Desai, said the administra-
Congressional Record on tion looks forward to the
Wednesday during the first Senate’s swift confirmation
of Kennedy’s two confir- of Kennedy.
mation hearings. The letter includes the
Among those who signed header “ Doctors for Robert
it were a self-described F. Kennedy Jr. “ and begins
journalist, a certified public with the words, “We, the
accountant, a firefighter/ undersigned physicians.” It
paramedic, a certified says lower down that it “re-
health coach and some- flects the collective voice
one who said they had a of physicians and medical
bachelor’s degree “with professionals” committed
an emphasis on Jungian to addressing chronic dis-
Psychology.” The signers ease.
include at least 75 nurses, The AP’s review found
as well as physician assis- that at least 10 doctors
tants. More than 90 did not who signed the letter had
include any credentials at run into trouble with state
all. medical boards or their
Over 20 were chiroprac- board certification body
tors, representing an indus- for a variety of alleged mis-
try that has funded Kenne- conduct. Sanctions they
dy’s work. An AP investiga- faced included having
tion found that donations their license revoked or sus-
from a chiropractic group pended, being put on pro-
represented one-sixth of bation, receiving a repri-
the revenues collected by mand or other action. One
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine received a warning letter
nonprofit in 2019. from the Federal Trade
The letter was organized Commission, which said he
and submitted by MAHA was unlawfully advertising
Action, which is run by products as treatments or
Del Bigtree, who worked prevention for COVID-19,
for Kennedy’s presidential including intravenous nutri-
campaign and is a long- ent therapy and vitamins.
time anti-vaccine activ- Among the signers was
ist. The Washington Post Paul Thomas, an anti-vac-
reported Wednesday that cine doctor who voluntarily
Kennedy transferred the surrendered.q