Can Trump ever be wrong? His pick to lead FDA refused to say.

“Senator, the president asks questions and wants the best outcomes for the American people right now.” Hassan kept pressing, switching to Trump’s false claim that Tylenol taken during pregnancy is linked to autism in children. “Was he wrong when he said that? Yes or no?” Again, Overton didn’t answer, only saying “There is no current evidence of a causal link between Tylenol and autism.” “I wish it wasn’t so difficult for members of the administration to just plainly say that the president’s wrong,” Hassan said. “And it’s really concerning to me that you are equivocating on it here.” Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.) also asked about the vaccine claims Trump made in August, noting that reports suggested it was Overton herself who suggested to Trump that the combination vaccine could be split into multiple shots. Even if there was reason to think splitting the vaccine would improve safety and/or efficacy, it would take huge investments and years of trials to get the individual vaccines approved in the US. “So obviously,” Blunt-Rochester asked, “you think these were good options, correct?” Overton replied that, in her current role, her job is to give Trump options. “You wouldn’t have provided bad options, right?” But Overton again wouldn’t answer Blunt-Rochester’s question. “This is just a simple question,” Blunt-Rochester interjected. “This, I thought, was the easy question.” Blunt-Rochester went on to ask Overton if she reviewed data about splitting the MMR vaccine or if current doses were the size of a soda bottle, but again she dodged the questions. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) pushed Overton on upcoming plans that the Trump administration has to further ease regulation of tobacco products, including fruity vapes. Kaine asked what Overton, a key domestic policy advisor, knew about the upcoming changes. But Overton would only say that she was “not involved in those discussions.” “Dr. Overton, now come on, don’t play games with me,” Kaine said. “I didn’t ask whether you were involved in them. I asked, are you aware … are you aware of discussions that is going on about whether the FDA will roll back tobacco safety regulations? And that’s an easy [question]. You’re either aware of them or you’re not.” After again declining to answer the question, Kaine gave up, saying “Let the record reflect that the witness refused to answer the question. I yield.” On the topic of birth control and abortion, Overton was equally evasive, refusing to say whether she thinks IUDs (intrauterine devices) are a form of abortion or whether women are polluting the water supply by taking birth control pills—both things anti-abortion groups claim. Even for friendly questions, Overton refused to answer things directly. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) asked about illegal, imported vapes, something Overton mentioned wanting to crack down on in her opening statement. Moody asked a softball question, simply getting Overton to confirm the FDA’s current rules for vaping products, which allow products to be sold while applications for FDA approvals are pending. “If someone files an application, they can sell, right?” Moody asked multiple times. But Overton didn’t answer the question and Moody became frustrated, exclaiming at one point: “I’m just trying to find out what the law is!” Halfway through the hearing, Murphy summed it up succinctly, telling Overton: “You’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding answering questions.”