Trump Nominee Implodes under Cross-Exam at Hearing

15:02Casey Means:It's like with vaccines. It's like, yeah, I bet that one vaccine probably isn't causing autism. But what about the 20 that they're getting before 18 months? Like, we don't look at it in synergistic. You know, and so that's that's a big problem.

15:15Ben Meiselas:And this is where and here's what she says about the health care, American health care in general. Let's play this clip.

15:22Casey Means:The more specialties we invent in healthcare, the sicker we're getting. The more drugs we prescribe in the United States for these different chronic illnesses, the increase in the rates of these diseases. So the more drugs for the diseases, the higher amounts of these diseases we get. The more specialties, the more diseases. Literally, the more research that we publish on these diseases, the worse the diseases are getting.

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17:35Ben Meiselas:Please support our show and let them know that Midas Touch sent you. So next you have Senator Cassidy, who himself is a physician. He asks the question, do you believe that vaccines cause autism? Let's watch what she says. Here, play this clip. And some have been scared to vaccinate their children because they've been told incorrectly that vaccines cause autism. Do you believe that vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism?

18:05Casey Means:Senator Cassidy, you're a physician. I'm a physician. the reality is that we have an autism crisis that's increasing and this is devastating to many families and we do not know as a medical community what causes autism the administration has just committed a huge amount of funding to look at the exposome of all environmental factors that could be contributing to autism and until we have a clear understanding of why kids are are developing this at higher rates. I think we should not leave any stones unturned.

18:39Ben Meiselas:There's been a lot of evidence showing that they're not implicated. Do you not accept that evidence?

18:43Casey Means:I do accept that evidence. I also think that science has never settled. And I think there is, I think that the effort to look at comprehensive cumulative exposures of our exposome into what is causing autism is important. I look forward to seeing those results and sharing the best public health information with the American people.

19:03Ben Meiselas:Well, I got through five. So there was another moment where MAGA Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen talked about, man, I'm ranting for too long. He was trying to prop her up and help her out because, of course, MAGA wants her to be the surgeon general, like the number one doctor, basically. And she's not active and she never is a sports specialist and she was never a practicing physician really at all. But this is who MAGA wants, right? I mean, this is like they have Jim Jordan lead the Judiciary Committee. He's not a licensed lawyer, right? They've got RFK Jr. running the health department and he's got no real background there other than his kind of quackery.

19:39Ben Meiselas:But anyway, watch this. Watch what goes down between him and Senator Bernie Sanders. Play this clip. Hey, scrap ACA. Admit it doesn't work. Admit you guys made a mistake. And let's work at something with President Trump to make affordable health care healthy and affordable for everybody. But there's zero chance you guys could do that. Zero chance. Yet everybody we bring up here, you guys chastise for trying to make changes. God forbid we change and go after us and try to fix our broken system. Anyways, I ranted too long. Let's talk about some - Yes, you did. I'm sorry. I didn't ask your opinion on that.

20:11Ben Meiselas:And if I cared about your opinion, I would ask you, but I don't care about your opinion. You're part of the system. You're part of the problem. You've been sitting here longer than I've even been alive. This is your problem. You should to fix this a long time ago. You've been rel on it so long. What do you do? I decided not to run for Surgeon General. You're the nominee. I decided I can accept that nominee. That is definitely something we would never accept. Ma 'am, what's your passion about health care? What brought you into this?

20:42Casey Means:Thank you, Senator Mullen. For all of us, I'm just going to take a deep breath.

20:47Ben Meiselas:Next, you have Senator Murray asking if you believe in SSRIs being dangerous to pregnant women. Let's play this clip. SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed type. Do you believe that SSRIs are dangerous for pregnant women?

21:04Casey Means:I don't want to be a broken record here, but I do believe that every medication has risks and benefits, and you need to have a nuanced conversation with your doctor before starting a medication. That is, I think, the most responsible position for any doctor to share.

21:19Ben Meiselas:Well, strong evidence has shown that SSRIs are safe in pregnancy. Most do not increase the risk of birth defects. Certainly. But untreated depression in pregnancy puts women at risk.

21:31Casey Means:And I agree with you, but I still think a patient, I don't think it's responsible to make a blatant statement for all Americans. Okay, well, if

21:37Ben Meiselas:confirmed as Surgeon General, it will be your job to give accurate and up-to-date health information to the American people.

21:42Casey Means:I assume you will take that ourselves really seriously. I absolutely do.

21:46Ben Meiselas:And it should be noted as well that Casey Means previously said the following about glyphosate, which the Trump regime now supports. She previously posted, pesticides are a slow motion extinction event, the lasting domino effects on health, fertility cancer, neurodegeneration, global biodiversity, topsoil integrity, ocean and aquatic life, and more, I think, could potentially push us to reach a tipping point. We're poisoning the intricate web of life for a false sense of convenience and efficiency. Please pay attention, speak up and choose differently. And for the love of God, never buy Roundup.

22:22Ben Meiselas:Now, Roundup is that product that has glyphosate in it, subject to all of those lawsuits with the links between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancers. So Democratic Senator Markey asks her, so do you think Trump's executive order promoting glyphosate is good? So are you supportive of that? You've been against it. Now, will you speak out against it? Will you use that voice and speak out? You're here under penalty of perjury. What are you going to say? And again, watch us what a con artist she is. Watch what a phony she is. Here, play this clip. The administration filed the brief with the Supreme Court arguing that Monsanto, one of the main producers of glyphosate, should be shielded from lawsuits from Americans who develop cancers from being exposed to glyphosate containing Roundup, which is a weed killer.

23:11Ben Meiselas:Instead of fighting for families with cancer, the Trump administration is fighting against them. So again, back to you. Yes or no? Do you think President Trump's executive order promoting the production of glyphosate, which you yourself have said likely causes cancer, will put American families' health at risk.

23:33Casey Means:Senator Markey, you and I both know that these issues around agriculture and health are extremely complex and are affecting farmers, consumers, food producers, food accessibility. My understanding of the executive order is that this, the thrust of this has to do with national security and decreased resilience and reliance on foreign countries for tools that farmers are currently using right now.

23:59Ben Meiselas:But these are things, these are cancer inducing chemicals, according to your own statements.

24:08Casey Means:We must as a country move away from using toxic inputs in our food supply, and we must study these chemicals more to understand their effects. I am very gravely concerned about the health impacts of these chemicals.

24:21Ben Meiselas:I understand that. Doctor, I'm just trying to help you to agree with yourself. You've already said it in the past, but Trump is contradicting you.

24:29Casey Means:Our food system is dependent currently on these chemicals. There is a good faith movement towards moving our food system towards regenerative agriculture and precision application of pesticides. I believe in good faith that is happening within this administration. I do also believe that we must do that. It's not good faith.

24:47Ben Meiselas:He's immunizing. He's arguing that there should be an immunization of Monsanto. That's not good faith. That's just siding with the chemical manufacturing company that is in fact causing the cancers. So don't you think it does put people, families at risk if these chemicals are in the system? That's been your position historically.

25:09Casey Means:I think there's grave issues with these chemicals. I think that we are in a very complicated moment for agriculture and food. We cannot overturn the entire agriculture system overnight. That would hurt farmers. It would hurt food prices. This is a national security decision.

25:24Ben Meiselas:That's not what the Trump administration said.

25:26Casey Means:And as a physician and as the Surgeon General, my focus would be on making sure that we are protecting American consumers and their health and making sure that we are having transparent, honest conversations about these things.

25:36Ben Meiselas:I'm disappointed to see you back away from your efforts. I'm not, I am not in any way backing away from this issue.

25:42Casey Means:It is a core passion of my life. Okay.

25:44Ben Meiselas:Secretary Kennedy has already backed away from his prior statements that glyphosate is a carcinogen and more from Senator Murphy right here, cross-examining her. And you can see how she just BS's this entire thing. Watch how she tries to blame Senator Murphy's staffers, as Rupert says. Here, play this clip. Function Health, which is your lab testing platform, data shows that you disclosed your partnership with them less than a third of the time that you recommended their services online. Genova Diagnostics, you disclosed your sponsorship and only two of the nine times that you promoted Genova Daily Harvest, you disclosed your sponsorship in only three of the 14 posts recommending that product.

26:33Ben Meiselas:Zen Basil Seeds, you disclosed your partnership only two out of the 13 times that you recommended the product. This seems systemic. It seems that in the majority of instances in which you were, as a medical professional, recommending a product, you were hiding the fact that you had a financial partnership. You seem to be in regular willful violation of the FTC rules. That is concerning as someone who agrees with Senator Cassidy that our focus has to be on restoring trust in the medical profession. And yet over and over again, you seem to be at scale recommending products without telling your followers.

27:17Ben Meiselas:And you have 200 ,000 newsletter subscribers, you have almost a million Instagram followers, and in only three out of 14 times on Daily Harvest, when you were promoting Daily Harvest, you disclosed that you're getting paid by them?

27:32Casey Means:It sounds like you have a lot to say about this issue, and I would be very interested to see how your staff looked at this data. I have a strong feeling that the way in which they gather this data is done intentionally to create these claims that you're making.

27:48Ben Meiselas:Well, I have the backup here. I mean, will you acknowledge that in many instances when you were promoting these products, you did not disclose that you had a financial relationship?

28:02Casey Means:I don't think that's true. And if it has happened, if it inadvertently has happened, I would rectify that immediately. However, I would be interested to see how your staff gathered this data. I'll be happy to send it to you.

28:16Ben Meiselas:And I will conclude by saying that I take conflicts of interest incredibly seriously.

28:24Casey Means:I've worked diligently with the Office of Government Ethics to make sure that conflicts are addressed thoroughly.

28:33Ben Meiselas:The committee will stand in recess for 15 minutes. Thank you. Then we have cross-examination from Democratic Senator Alsa Brooks from Maryland. Let's play it. From a company called Peak. Yes. Okay, and in your newsletter number 33, you acknowledge that PEAK has sponsored you.

28:49Casey Means:Now, were you aware that this company was served notice under California's Proposition 65 for containing and failing to disclose that lead above the allowable amounts of carcinogen and reproductive toxin was present? I just want to repeat, I've worked with the Office of Government and Ethics. I'm not going to be taking any financial compensation. Okay, but we're talking about just the ones you've already... We're talking about conflicts. And I have been cleared by the Office of Government and Ethics through an exhaustive process. I have signed a letter that I will be fully compliant. And this is before, during, and after the term.

29:21Casey Means:I take it very seriously and I'll work closely with them to make sure there are no conflicts.

29:24Ben Meiselas:The point here is that you've received compensation from these companies, including Daily Harvest, where this company was subjected to an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration after hundreds became seriously ill after consuming the product. And these are companies that you have received money from. They've been investigated and you are railing out against pharmaceutical companies that you say are advertising these products that mislead the public. And yet, you know, you've received compensation from companies and you promoted them in your newsletter.

29:59Casey Means:And you're doing the same thing the pharmaceutical companies are doing by advertising and influencing people for these products that have been deemed to be unsafe for the public. Now, let me just move on as well to vaccinations.

30:16Ben Meiselas:Here we have Democratic Senator Cain. Let's play it over here. In your report on January 7, just a month or so ago, Secretary Kennedy stated, quote, there is no evidence, no evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious disease or that it prevents hospitalization or deaths in children. Do you agree with that statement?

30:39Casey Means:Senator Kaine, as I said, I believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of it. But I'm not asking about the general.

30:48Ben Meiselas:I heard that testimony earlier. But the statement is there is no evidence that flu vaccine, and I want to be scrupulous about this, prevents serious disease or that it prevents hospitalization or death in children. You're an MD. Your qualifications have been much discussed earlier. Do you agree with the statement that there's no evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious disease or that it prevents hospitalizations or death in children?

31:18Casey Means:I have not personally seen that quote or that article. I just want to review it before I comment on that.

31:24Ben Meiselas:I'm going to set the quote aside. I'll introduce for the record an article CBS News. RFK Jr. says it may be better if fewer children receive the flu vaccine dated January 7, 2026. Without objection. Let me set aside the quote and set aside Secretary Kennedy and set aside the article. Do you believe that there is evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious disease and prevents hospitalization or deaths in children? I believe that all patients should talk to their doctors. And so do I. And that's not what I'm asking you. Your qualifications have been much discussed. there is a mountain of evidence about this.

32:08Ben Meiselas:Do you believe that there's no evidence that the flu vaccine has efficacy in reducing serious injury or hospitalization?

32:16Casey Means:I...

32:20Ben Meiselas:This is an easy one, doctor. This is an easy one.

32:25Casey Means:I support the CDC's guidance on the flu vaccine, and I will always be working with the CDC, ACIP, and the...

32:31Ben Meiselas:So you believe it is an efficacious vaccine to reduce hospitalization?

32:37Casey Means:Is or is not?

32:38Ben Meiselas:Is. You believe it is.

32:40Casey Means:As I said, I support the CDC's guidance on the flu vaccine.

32:42Ben Meiselas:Let me just say, do you think the flu vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization or serious injury?

32:49Casey Means:I've said it. You're a doctor. I believe vaccines save lives. I believe they're an important part of public health strategy.

32:56Ben Meiselas:The flu vaccine, does it reduce the risk of injury or hospitalization?

32:59Casey Means:At the population level, I certainly think that it does.

33:04Ben Meiselas:Let me introduce for the record, if I can, Mr. Chair, CDC seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness studies dated May 30, 2025 from the CDC that goes into this in some detail. Without objection. This is not a hard question. I answered your question. Democratic Senator Kim had an opportunity to cross-examine her. Let's play it. I guess I wanted to just dive into this because, you know, with the Commission Corps, it's saying as a commission core officer of the U.S. Public Health Services, keeping professional licensure and certification up to date is mandatory.

33:35Casey Means:So I guess I just wanted to get a sense of how you're squaring this here. Well, I do have a medical license right now. It is voluntarily placed on inactive status because I'm not actively seeing patients at this time.

33:50Casey Means:The HHS and Admiral Brian Christine have testified in front of this committee that I am eligible to serve as the medical director of the HHS. How does that square? It says keeping a professional

34:02Ben Meiselas:licensure and certification up to date is mandatory. Is yours up to date?

34:06Casey Means:I have an active I have a medical license that is unexpired right now. Admiral Christine has testified that I'm eligible to serve in this role. I'm the president's nominee for surgeon general and further questions about that we'll have to go to that.

34:18Ben Meiselas:So if we were to expand that would you say that like with the others in the commission corps, do you think we should remove the mandatory licensure for them to be able to participate in the corps?

34:33Casey Means:That's not a question that I've considered. I don't think it's actually relevant to this particular hearing.

34:38Ben Meiselas:Well, it's relevant insofar as I'm just trying to think through if you're in this job, how are you going to be proceeding? And what kind of advice are you going to be able to give to the American people and the credibility that they will have in understanding what your advice is. Also, in terms of, you know, if you are a leader of the Commission Corps, I'm trying to get a sense, are you going to deprioritize having an active license in the same way that, you know, you believe that you can do the job of a Surgeon General without having an active license? Do you believe that that is the case

35:07Casey Means:for others in the Commission Corps, that they can do their job without having an active license? Senator Kim, I'm a medical doctor. I graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine. I have a medical license. My professional history is a feature. It's not a bug. I have had a unique history that has merged entrepreneurship, public health advocacy, faculty, course direction at Stanford University, as well as being an editor of a medical journal and a biomedical researcher. And in these complex times for American health care, that type of multidisciplinary history is going to be extremely valuable for the American people.

35:41Ben Meiselas:I don't discount your accomplishments and your education. But what I'm trying to get a sense of here is your ability to be able to engage with our current medical professionals to show respect.

35:53Casey Means:I practiced medicine. I owned my own medical practice and I've seen thousands of patients. And I did over four years of surgical training, which is more than many of our past surgeon generals completed who did medical specialties. I have completed extremely thorough medical training and I have the ability through these experiences to communicate excellent public health information. And I really look forward to working with the Commissioned Corps. This is an incredible group of people, 5 ,000 uniformed officers who are committing their lives to helping the American people. And personally, just to share a little bit of a vision for that.

36:27Ben Meiselas:The signal that is being sent is one that I think we have to look at. And with that, I'll yield that. And here, Casey Means, Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, won't unambiguously say that mothers should have their kids vaccinated against measles. Let's play it. Had two children die from measles in West Texas. We now have an outbreak of like a thousand children almost in South Carolina area. You're a mom. We're on verge, we're on the verge of losing our measles elimination status. Would you encourage other mothers to have their children vaccinated against measles with the MMR vaccine?

37:04Casey Means:Like you, I'm a physician. I believe vaccines save lives. I believe that vaccines are a key part of every public, of any infectious disease public health strategy. And I would work with you, the CDC, the NIH, ASIP, FDA.

37:19Ben Meiselas:But would you encourage mothers to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine, seeing how we've had children die and this outbreak in South Carolina?

37:27Casey Means:I'm supportive of vaccination. I do believe that each patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they're putting in their body and their children's bodies.

37:38Ben Meiselas:If you're a nation's doctor, would you encourage her to have her child vaccinated?

37:41Casey Means:I'm not an individual's doctor and every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body. I absolutely am supportive of the measles vaccine and I do believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of the public health strategy.

37:54Ben Meiselas:What about the flu vaccine? Here, play this clip. Tough flu season this year. Would you, as past Surgeon Generals have, encourage Americans to get vaccinated with the flu vaccine? At the risk of sounding repetitive, I do think it's very important as a physician and to rebuild trust in public health to make sure that patients are encouraged to have informed consent with their doctor

38:21Casey Means:before getting any medication. I believe vaccines save lives. I believe they're an important part of public health. I also do not want to not encourage patients to have a conversation with their doctor. I think it's incredibly important. And informed consent is going to be part of building trust in public health.

38:36Ben Meiselas:There you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million. Thank you, everybody, for watching. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our sub stack at MidasPlus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad-free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at MidasPlus.com.

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