Senators call for RFK Jr. probe, ouster over Samoa vaccine letter
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Senators renewed calls for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be removed after documents showed he discussed vaccines in a 2019 letter to Samoa's prime minister. Sen. Ron Wyden asked the Justice Department to investigate Kennedy for lying to Congress during his confirmation hearings. The letter contradicts Kennedy's testimony that his Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines.
Key Facts
- Sen. Ron Wyden called for a Justice Department criminal investigation into Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for lying to Congress.
- A January 2019 letter from Kennedy to Samoa's prime minister used the words 'vaccination' and 'vaccine' eight times.
- Kennedy testified in January 2025 that his Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines.
- A measles outbreak in Samoa after Kennedy's visit killed 83 people, mostly children under 5.
- Vaccination rates in Samoa had fallen to as low as 31 percent before the outbreak.
The Samoa Letter
The Associated Press and The Guardian jointly released documents on Thursday that contradict Kennedy's confirmation testimony. One document is a letter Kennedy sent to Samoa's prime minister in January 2019. In the letter, Kennedy falsely suggested deaths associated with MMR vaccines were due to a bad lot from the manufacturer. Kennedy proposed that he and his team from Children's Health Defense investigate Samoa's MMR vaccines. The letter used the words 'vaccination' and 'vaccine' eight times.
Senate Reaction
Sen. Edward J. Markey said Kennedy 'has lied to the Senate, lied to the American people, and jeopardized the health of children.' Sen. Ron Wyden called the documents 'proof we got RFK lying on the record during his confirmation hearing (a crime).' Wyden asked for the matter to be referred to the US Department of Justice for a criminal investigation. Wyden added that Kennedy's platform 'is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake.'
The Samoa Outbreak
Kennedy visited Samoa in 2019 as a prominent anti-vaccine activist leading Children's Health Defense. Months after his visit, Samoa suffered a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under age 5. The outbreak was fueled by vaccine hesitancy drummed up by anti-vaccine activists. Vaccination rates in Samoa had cratered to as low as 31 percent.
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Senators call for RFK Jr. probe, ouster over Samoa vaccine letter
