RFK Jr. Slams NYT ‘Hit Piece’ From Disgruntled Ex-Employees

The confrontation erupted after the Times published a report questioning Kennedy’s engagement with his department, particularly regarding the recent Ebola outbreak in Africa that exposed at least six Americans, as New York Post reports.

Taking to X, Kennedy dismissed the Times piece as ideologically motivated journalism with a predetermined conclusion.

“In order to prove your preconceived case for my disengagement, you quote anonymous employees, some of whom I fired or who quit to avoid being fired,” Kennedy stated in his post. He went further, charging that the newspaper had constructed a narrative first and then cherry-picked sources to support it.

Times Report Questions Leadership Style

The Times article, written by correspondent Sheryl Gay Stolberg earlier this week, carried the headline “Kennedy Shows Minimal Engagement With Vast Health Portfolio.” The piece alleged that Kennedy has demonstrated minimal interest in managing the sprawling health bureaucracy, instead fixating on his signature policy goals.

According to the report, multiple colleagues claim Kennedy focuses exclusively on food recommendations, pesticide exposures, and seeking evidence to validate his longstanding position that vaccines pose health risks.

The article noted that Kennedy has made just one documented visit to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Georgia, which occurred following a shooting incident at the facility in which a gunman killed a police officer.

The Times piece portrayed Kennedy as deeply skeptical of career civil servants, suggesting he has insulated himself with ideological allies while key positions remain unfilled and experienced health professionals depart in large numbers.

Kennedy Fires Back at Media Narrative

In his response, Kennedy turned the tables on his critics, pointing to conditions he inherited and reforms the media refuses to acknowledge.

“When I took this job, the building was empty. About 90% of the employees were not coming to work. I changed that, but your newspaper never covers my reforms,” Kennedy wrote, adding that his predecessor was rarely present during a four-year tenure.

Kennedy condemned the Times for its heavy reliance on unnamed sources and terminated employees, declaring that journalistic standards have collapsed. The fact that you have minimal access to decision makers leaves you covering trivia and relying on your own capacity for invention, he stated.

Times Defends Its Reporting

The New York Times pushed back against Kennedy’s allegations, telling Fox News Digital that the secretary declined an interview request and ignored detailed questions submitted before publication.

A Times spokesperson said the report examined Kennedy’s leadership and management approach amid widespread vacancies at HHS and internal concerns about his disconnect from critical issues and officials. The spokesperson emphasized the article drew from conversations with a dozen individuals who worked directly with Kennedy during his time as secretary, and expressed confidence in the reporting.

The public clash highlights the intensifying friction between Kennedy’s reform agenda at the health department and mainstream media institutions that have scrutinized his controversial positions on vaccines and public health policy.

With information from New York Post