Carolyn Maloney’s old comments linking vaccines to autism are ‘disqualifying,’ opponent claims
One of Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s primary opponents is making sure voters in New York’s 12th congressional district remember her past controversial comments on vaccines – arguing those views should disqualify her from the race.
“Carolyn Maloney is running on her record and judgment. For years, she was a committed anti-vaxxer,” alleges a minute-long campaign video released by NY-12 candidate Suraj Patel Monday.
Although the congresswoman’s campaign told The Post she “has always been supportive of vaccines and the science behind them,” Maloney previously promoted debunked studies linking autism to vaccinations.
During a November 2012 congressional hearing on autism, Maloney said “verbal evidence” from parents claiming their kids got sick after getting their shots “seemed” strong enough to question vaccine efficacy.
Patel’s ad sprinkles Maloney’s musings throughout the attack ad, alleging she “used her office to spread conspiracy theories.”
“They vowed smoking was not bad for your health – and the same thing seemed to be here for the vaccinations,” said Maloney in a 2012 clip. “The verbal evidence seemed so strong from so many people, that they had a healthy child until they got vaccinated.”
Patel, 38, told The Post that voters should now ditch Maloney especially after the Big Apple was “ground zero” for the COVID-10 pandemic that claimed the lives of over 70,000 New Yorkers.
“This isn’t like a Thanksgiving discussion with your wacky uncle,” he said. “The anti-vax attitudes are hampering our monkeypox efforts. It should be disqualifying for any politician, let alone a Democrat representing the epicenter of a pandemic.”
Maloney’s testimony was also cited in the anti-vaccine book “The Autistic Holocaust: The Reason Our Children Keep Getting Sick,” which alleges the Center for Disease Control has “lied” to Americans and “buried damaging research on the perils of vaccines.”
Both the CDC and New York State Department of Health’s websites say vaccines are safe and have no connection to autism.
This is Patel’s third time challenging Maloney, 76.
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, 75, is also running for the new seat. He currently reps New York’s 10th district but was drawn out of it after a court ruled Democrats had gerrymandered districts, with his being one of the most egregious.
Patel said because Nadler, once a close ally of the congresswoman, endorsed Maloney’s past reelection bids, his judgment should also be questioned.
“Her children are vaccinated. One of the first bills she voted for created the Vaccines for Children Program. Over the years she has voted for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to support vaccine distribution, both here in the US and abroad, as well as vaccine research,” said Maloney spokesman Bob Liff.
The CDC’s Vaccines for Children program helps distribute vaccinations to low-income families with federal funds.
“During the pandemic, Carolyn fought to bring $5 billion in COVID relief funds to New York to get shots into people’s arms and masks and PPE. She built two vaccination sites for New Yorkers in my district to make it easier for those who did not have access to vaccines to get vaccinated. No one can look at her record and say with a straight face that she is an anti-vaxxer.”
Patel’s campaign said “hundreds of thousands” of dollars was spent on the video, which will appear first digitally and then on television.
The primary election is Aug. 23.
