US Republican Senator Rand Paul has told TV anchor Kelly Evans to shush and 'calm down' after she questioned his stance on vaccines and the efficacy of corporate tax holidays.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an ophthalmologist, said in an interview with CNBC's Kelly Evans on Monday that he had heard of instances where vaccines caused "mental disorders."
When asked by the CNBC's Closing Bell host about his stance on vaccines, Paul replied: "Vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs that we have. I'm a big fan and a great fan of the history of the development of the small pox vaccine for example.
"But you know, for most of our history, they have been voluntary. So I don't think I'm arguing for anything out of the ordinary. We are arguing for what most of our history has had," he added.
"I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines. I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea. I think they are a good thing, but I think the parent should have some input."
A recent measles outbreak in US Disneyland themeparks has renewed debate about vaccines. The so-called anti-vaccination movement in which fears about potential side effects of vaccines, fueled by now-debunked theories suggesting a link to autism, have led a small minority of parents to refuse to allow their children to be inoculated.
Evans then questioned him about the efficacy of corporate tax holidays, but the interview got heated as they moved from topic to topic.
At one point Rand shushes Evans, telling her to "calm down".
"Hey, let me finish. Hey, hey, Kelly," he said. "Calm down a bit here, Kelly. Let me answer the question."
The likely 2016 presidential candidate also questioned Evan's research before accusing her of bias.
"Part of the problem is that you end up having interviews like this where the interview is so slanted and full of distortions that you don't get useful information... So frankly, I think if we do this again, you need to start out with a little more objectivity going into the interview."
Watch the full inteview below:
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