Senators demand criminal investigation into Kennedy's Samoa trip and vaccine misinformation
Senators are calling for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be removed, with one requesting a criminal probe, after documents allegedly show he lied during his confirmation hearings about a 2019 trip to Samoa. The visit preceded a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children, after vaccine hesitancy surged. Lawmakers argue Kennedy's actions constitute a pattern of deception that endangered public health.
The newly released correspondence shows Kennedy wrote directly to Samoa's prime minister in January 2019, proposing that he and his Children's Health Defense team investigate the country's MMR vaccines. His letter referenced vaccines eight times and suggested recent infant deaths were linked to a bad vaccine lot. The prime minister welcomed the proposed visit, which occurred months before the outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five.
The two infant deaths Kennedy referenced occurred in July 2018, when nurses mistakenly mixed the vaccine with a muscle relaxant, an error officials later determined was covered up. Following Kennedy's visit, vaccination rates in Samoa plummeted to as low as 31 percent, creating conditions for the deadly measles outbreak. Kennedy's confirmation hearing testimony directly contradicted the documentary evidence now public.
This story could further erode public confidence in federal health leadership, particularly among parents deciding whether to vaccinate their children. If a criminal investigation proceeds, it may set a precedent for holding officials accountable for statements made during confirmation proceedings. The case could also intensify scrutiny of how anti-vaccine advocacy influences policy decisions, potentially affecting immunization rates and outbreak responses nationwide.