Key facts
- New documents suggest Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may have misled lawmakers regarding his 2019 trip to Samoa.
- Kennedy Jr. had previously stated his trip was unrelated to vaccines, but new documents indicate he inquired about the country's MMR vaccines.
- The Department of Health and Human Services has defended Kennedy Jr., stating his visit was not vaccine-related and calling accusations of lying false.
- Lawmakers are demanding a criminal investigation into Kennedy Jr. for alleged false testimony to Congress.
- Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Secretary of Health after securing crucial support from Senator Bill Cassidy.
New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian cast doubt on U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s previous testimony to lawmakers regarding his 2019 visit to Samoa. Kennedy Jr. had repeatedly stated that the trip, which occurred before a deadly measles outbreak, was unrelated to vaccines. However, the newly surfaced documents include a letter Kennedy Jr. sent to Samoa's prime minister requesting to study the country's MMR vaccines after two children died post-vaccination. In the letter, he used the words "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times.
During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy Jr. insisted his visit had "nothing to do with vaccines" and that his purpose was to introduce a health informatics system. The Department of Health and Human Services has defended Kennedy Jr., stating his visit was "not related to vaccines" and calling accusations of lying "false" and "defamatory." The department also noted that Kennedy Jr. was not under oath during his confirmation hearing, although knowingly providing false testimony to Congress can be a crime.
Critics argue that Kennedy Jr.'s statements constitute lying to Congress, and some lawmakers are demanding a criminal investigation and his ouster. Senator Ron Wyden stated that if Democrats regain the Senate, Kennedy Jr. will be held accountable. Despite bipartisan criticism of his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, Kennedy Jr. secured crucial support from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a proponent of vaccination, and was confirmed by the Senate.