So sources tell NBC news that the president-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,

to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Trump had previously promised RFK a, quote, big role after RFK abandoned his independent bid for president

and endorsed Donald Trump.

The New York Times describes him like this as a, quote, environmental lawyer who has no medical or public health degrees and has promoted anti-vaccine conspiracies for years, end quote.

Regarding the Food and Drug Administration, the agency that is responsible for the safety of our prescriptions,

vaccines, cosmetics, our food, even veterinary medicine, an agency that would be under his

purview. RFK has said that, quote, entire departments have to go. Let's bring into our breaking

news coverage, former Obama White House Policy Director, MSNBC

medical contributor, Dr. Kavita Patel. Dr. Patel, your first reaction.

Oh, my God. I mean, those of us who have spent our lifetime kind of decades working in

and around in HHS, I'm not kidding, Nicole, my texts are flying off the chain, both Democrats and

Republicans saying, this can't be real. Someone must have gotten this wrong. This can't be possible.

And now the second underlying chain, there's some silver linings. The second thought I had is he can't

get confirmed, can he? But I'm just listening to talk about the DNI and all these other roles

that require

some sort of White House or confirmation or some combination. And here we are. It is really hard

to believe their career staff texting me saying this was just the push they needed to try to get

out. They were already on the fence and worried. We're not just going to see this incredible

kind of integration of ideology that has no science behind it. But Nicole, we're going to see

probably the best of the best career staff leave, leaving these agencies potentially hollow

that he would oversee.

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