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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused CNN anchor Dana Bash of COVID-era media malpractice Sunday, saying she failed to challenge public health authorities and helped marginalize dissenters during the pandemic.
"You were part of the problem. There was absolute press malpractice. Your job — your job — is a fierce skepticism toward authority, and you weren’t doing that," Kennedy said on "State of the Union."
"You were beating up on people who were dissenting," the HHS secretary added.
Kennedy leveled the attack after Bash asked how HHS would prepare for another pandemic and tried to move him away from re-litigating the prior federal response.
Bash pushed back, saying she was trying to ask how Kennedy would prevent another public health crisis.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused CNN anchor Dana Bash of COVID-era "press malpractice" on "State of the Union." (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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"I also don’t want to use this interview to allow you to say things that aren’t entirely true," Bash said. "You’re talking about therapeutics. Fine. It is also factually true that the COVID vaccine worked. The COVID vaccine prevented deaths. There is data, upon data, upon data."
CDC and Harvard researchers estimated in 2023 that primary vaccination could have prevented at least 232,000 deaths among unvaccinated U.S. adults.
After Bash acknowledged the frightening nature of the pandemic and said officials made mistakes, Kennedy accused CNN of contributing to public fear.
"You were scaring people," Kennedy said.
Bash pushed back after Kennedy told her she was "part of the problem" during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Maya Dehlin Spach/FilmMagic)
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Bash asked why he believed CNN had frightened viewers, prompting Kennedy to point to its pandemic chyrons.
"Because that was the job of CNN," Kennedy said.
Bash said the network had been covering government officials, including President Donald Trump's daily White House briefings.
"We were listening to the leaders in this country, including the president, who had a daily press conference explaining what was going on," Bash said.
Kennedy accused CNN of frightening viewers as the pair clashed over the media’s coverage of federal health guidance. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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CNN defended Bash’s questioning and the network’s pandemic coverage in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Dana Bash is a veteran journalist who conducted a newsmaking interview with Secretary Kennedy in which he stated that he supports parents getting their children vaccinated against measles and addressed President Trump’s push for further study into autism and vaccines," a CNN spokesperson said.
"Asking tough, substantive questions to those in power is the job of every journalist, and Dana did hers incredibly well today. We stand behind Dana, her reporting, and CNN’s overall coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic," the spokesperson added.
Kennedy later accused Bash of punishing people who distrusted Fauci, claiming he lied about masks, social distancing, natural immunity, vaccine transmission and COVID-19's origins.
"We know that Anthony Fauci, who was the expert, was lying about everything," Kennedy said. "He was lying. And you were punishing people for not trusting the experts."
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The interview aired four days after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times on his attorney's advice during a Senate hearing into the pandemic response and COVID-19's origins, Fox News Digital reported.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said his committee will vote on a contempt resolution.
Bash’s questioning also came as the United States recorded its highest measles total in 35 years. The CDC reported 2,371 confirmed cases through July 30, surpassing 2,289 for all of 2025. Kindergarten MMR coverage fell from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% during 2024-2025.
When Bash asked Kennedy to tell parents directly to get their children vaccinated, he endorsed the MMR vaccine.
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"Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles," Kennedy said. "Measles vaccine is effective. It stops measles in about 97% of the cases. People should get vaccinated."
Bash previously said in April reporters should identify false or misleading claims instead of merely presenting competing positions.
"Objective reporting doesn’t mean just giving all sides of the issue," she said. "Objective reporting now, rightly so, means explaining what somebody says when it’s false or when it’s not right or when it’s misleading."
Fox News Digital reached out to RFK Jr. for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.
CJ joined Fox News Digital's team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.
CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism.
You can send news tips to [email protected] and follow CJ on Twitter.
