The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as U.S. health secretary last year was marred by a contentious issue: his 2019 trip to Samoa, which he repeatedly told lawmakers had “nothing to do with vaccines.” However, newly obtained documents suggest otherwise.
Kennedy’s Letter to Samoa
A letter dated January 20, 2019, from Kennedy to then-Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, reveals his intention to study the Pacific island nation’s measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines. Kennedy, then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, expressed his belief that the deaths of two children who had received MMR vaccines could be due to manufacturing issues. He proposed a “detailed health informatics assessment” of Samoa’s MMR vaccines.
The letter, written on the letterhead of Kennedy’s then-affiliated nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, used the terms “vaccine” or “vaccination” eight times. It did not explicitly discuss anti-vaccine activism.
Kennedy’s Testimony vs. Reality
During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy repeatedly insisted that his trip to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccines. However, the newly surfaced letter indicates that his trip was indeed focused on investigating Samoa’s MMR vaccines. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) maintained that the trip was unrelated to vaccines.
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The HHS also stated that any claim or insinuation that Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is false and defamatory. However, Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing. Knowingly giving materially false testimony to Congress is a crime, though it is rarely prosecuted.
Samoa’s Measles Outbreak
Kennedy’s trip to Samoa took place in May and June 2019. By then, vaccinations had resumed, and Samoa’s top health official had announced that human error, not a vaccine issue, caused the children’s deaths. Despite this, measles broke out later that year, sickening thousands and killing 83 people, mostly children under 5.
Public health experts have suggested that anti-vaccine activists, some of whom were reportedly emboldened by Kennedy’s visit, hampered efforts to address the outbreak.
Kennedy’s trip to Samoa has since become one of the most contentious events in his career. Critics have accused him of fueling anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa, where vaccination rates plummeted after a 10-month halt following the deaths of the two children.
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Some lawmakers have suggested that Kennedy’s statements could be grounds for hearings, investigations, or an impeachment inquiry. However, such action is unlikely under the current Republican-led Congress, which is aligned with President Trump’s administration.
Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, both Democrats who questioned Kennedy about Samoa in his confirmation hearings, have accused the health secretary of lying. Wyden has pledged to press Republicans to refer the case to the Justice Department and to hold Kennedy accountable if Democrats retake the Senate in fall elections.
Wyden stated, “There are consequences for lying to Congress.”