New Letters Contradict RFK Jr.'s Senate Testimony
Freshly released documents suggest that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now the US health secretary, may have misled lawmakers about the purpose of his 2019 visit to Samoa. The letters, obtained by The Guardian and the Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, show Kennedy discussing vaccines with the then-Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, on behalf of the Children's Health Defense, an organization known for its anti-vaccine activism.
In one letter dated January 20, 2019, Kennedy mentions vaccines eight times and proposes conducting a "detailed health informatics assessment" of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, specifically looking into "deaths associated with MMR vaccine." The letter came months before a measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, mostly children under five, and followed an incident where two nurses pleaded guilty to manslaughter after improperly mixing vaccine doses that led to two children's deaths.
Conflicting Statements
During his Senate confirmation hearings last year, Kennedy repeatedly denied that vaccines were the focus of his trip. When questioned by senators Ron Wyden and Ed Markey, he testified, "I went there; nothing to do with vaccines. I went there to introduce a medical informatics system that would digitalize records in Samoa and make health delivery much more efficient." The next day, he added, "My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with vaccines."
The newly obtained letters tell a different story. Kennedy wrote to the prime minister expressing a desire to study "what happened" with Samoa's use of the MMR vaccine, and he speculated that the children's deaths may have been caused by issues with different vaccine lots.
Calls for Investigation
Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, is now calling for a criminal investigation into Kennedy's statements. "RFK's platform is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake," Wyden said in a statement. "There are consequences for lying to Congress." He said he would press his Republican colleagues to issue a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, and vowed that if Democrats retake the Senate, Kennedy would be held accountable.
The watchdog group American Oversight has also sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting an investigation into whether Kennedy violated laws against making false statements to Congress.
Senator Ed Markey and other Democratic officials have called for Kennedy's removal from office.
HHS Response
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defended Kennedy, stating: "Secretary Kennedy's visit to Samoa in 2019 was unrelated to vaccines. Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory."
It is worth noting that Kennedy was not under oath during the confirmation hearings, but knowingly making material false statements to Congress is still a crime, albeit rarely prosecuted.