Documents Suggest RFK. Jr Lied in Confirmation Hearings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s explanation for a 2019 trip to Samoa is colliding with his own paperwork. Newly released letters obtained by the Guardian and the AP show the now–US health secretary explicitly pitched the visit to Samoa's then–prime minister as a chance to investigate the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—using "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times—despite telling senators during his confirmation hearings last year that the trip had "nothing to do with vaccines." At the time, Kennedy was leading Children's Health Defense, an organization known for opposing vaccines.

• "I would propose my team conduct detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines," Kennedy wrote in one letter, suggesting that the deaths of two children could be linked to vaccine manufacturing issues. The deaths, which caused the Samoan government to halt vaccinations for 10 months, turned out to be the result of human error, not defective vaccines.

The documents add fuel to long-running questions about whether Kennedy misled Congress, though he was not under oath. Legal experts say a future Democratic-controlled Congress could cite the discrepancy to pursue hearings or even an impeachment inquiry, while a Justice Department under a new president could, in theory, explore charges within the five-year statute of limitations for lying to Congress.

• Democratic Sen. Edward Markey said he would push to hold Kennedy accountable if Democrats retake the Senate, the AP reports. "There are consequences for lying to Congress," said Markey. When the trip came up during a confirmation hearing, Kennedy told Markey, "My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with vaccines."

The Health and Human Services Department calls any claim that Kennedy lied to Congress "not only false but defamatory" and insists the visit was unrelated to vaccines. Kennedy has previously said he went to Samoa to discuss a health data system and attend Independence Day events, not to influence vaccination decisions. During the visit, Kennedy met with local anti-vaccine activists. Months later, with vaccination rates low, a measles outbreak in Samoa killed 83 people, most of them children under five, the Guardian reports.