Cleveland Clinic is rejecting claims that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. operated robotic surgical equipment during a recent visit to the Ohio hospital, clarifying that the Trump administration official only observed the procedure.
“He briefly observed a robotic heart surgery as part of a broader tour, which included a demonstration using a disconnected teaching console that was unable to perform any surgical functions,” a Cleveland Clinic spokesperson told The Hill on Thursday. “He played no role in the patient’s care.”
The statement followed a report from KFF Health News indicating Kennedy “briefly tested the teaching console” connected to the clinic’s robotic surgery system “with a live patient splayed open for heart surgery in the room.”
KFF later updated its story to include the clinic’s response.
The report sparked backlash online, with critics questioning Kennedy’s presence in the operating room.
One physician described it as a “horrifying and grotesque violation of HIPAA,” referring to federal patient privacy protections.
“I’m curious how he was ever allowed in a functioning operating room to begin with…,” Dr. Ian Fields, a urogynecologist, wroteon X.
X user John Aravosis posted: “So the Cleveland clinic stopped mid-heart-surgery for a photo op with Kennedy. Was the patient’s heart exposed just sitting there while they stopped the surgery and let Kennedy play with the tools? Still sounds like a lawsuit to me.”
