โIโve known Bobby for a long time and have seen him take all the slings and arrows from his fight for medical freedom,โ Bigtree said.
Anti-vaxxer. Spreader of misinformation. Dangerous.
Del Bigtree understands the vitriol that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., faced during his presidential campaign and his confirmation process for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
For years, Bigtree has had the same attacks directed at him.
As partner behind the documentary โVaxxed,โ and founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, Bigtree is considered one of the nationโs most prominent advocates for vaccine safety studies, childrenโs health, and informed consent, along with Kennedy.
Bigtree and Kennedy have worked together on vaccine-related issues for more than a decade. Bigtree was also among the advisers present when Kennedy decided to run for president and he served as the candidateโs communications director during his campaign.
Standing in the Oval Office in February watching Kennedy take the oath to serve as secretary of HHS, Bigtree said he felt a wave of emotions.
He said he thought about โall the slinging arrows cast his way from the moment he entered the race as a Democrat, all of the criticism from the mainstream media, and all of the obstacles designed to wreck his campaign.โ
โHe was confronted with so many hurdles but he kept moving forward with what he believes,โ Bigtree told The Epoch Times. โThat moment, when he put his hand on the Bible and was sworn in, was sweet because he was now in a position to make a greater impact on issues weโve fought for a long time.โ
Bigtree, now CEO of the MAHA Action political action committee, is still the head of Informed Consent Action Network and host of โThe Highwire,โ an online show that explores vaccine safety and health issues.
Earlier in his career, he was a producer for the โDr. Phil Showโ and the CBS talk show, โThe Doctors.โ He won an Emmy Award during his time there.
His tenure on โThe Doctorsโ sparked a new path.
For a decade, the show mostly focused on episodes about cutting edge surgeries and medical breakthroughs, Bigtree noted.
In 2014, a radiologist approached Bigtree about a story on the link between vaccines and autism. Bigtree recalls telling him, โโOn โThe Doctors,โ we are pretty set on the idea that vaccines donโt cause autism, and that vaccines are safe and effective. But if thatโs a space youโre really focused on, Iโm always interested in a controversy and in a story.โ
โI told him that something really big would have to happen for me to even pitch the story,โ Bigtree said.
A year later, the same radiologist alerted Bigtree to Dr. William Thompson, a โwhistleblower inside the CDC,โ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thompson was about to come forward to say โthat the CDC is committing scientific fraud with their vaccine safety studies,โ Bigtree said.
โThe Doctorsโ would not broadcast the story.
Byย Jeff Louderback