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Exclusive: Senator opens investigation into evidence RFK Jr ‘unlawfully lied’ to Congress
Senator Ron Wyden has opened an investigation into whether Robert F Kennedy Jr made false statements to Congress during his 2025 confirmation hearings to become US health secretary. The inquiry matters because senators are examining whether Kennedy’s account of a trip to Samoa conflicted with earlier written statements about vaccines.
Wyden and Senator Angela Alsobrooks have asked Children’s Health Defense for records, including documents about Kennedy’s 2019 Samoa visit. In a letter to Samoa’s prime minister before the trip, Kennedy said he wanted to study the MMR vaccine; at his confirmation hearings, he said the visit had “nothing to do with vaccines”. The trip took place months before a measles outbreak killed 83 people in Samoa, mostly children under five. Kennedy has denied discouraging vaccination, while the health department has rejected claims that he lied.
In short
- Wyden is investigating Kennedy’s testimony to Congress.
- A 2019 letter said Kennedy wanted to study Samoa’s MMR vaccine.
- The trip preceded a measles outbreak that killed 83 people.
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The case for
Those supporting the inquiry can argue that Congress has a duty to examine whether a nominee gave truthful evidence, especially where a written letter describing vaccine research appears to conflict with later testimony that the trip had nothing to do with vaccines. Seeking records is a way to establish the facts and protect the integrity of confirmation hearings, without presuming guilt.
The case against
Those questioning the inquiry can argue that the apparent inconsistency may not establish a deliberate falsehood: a trip can include vaccine-related research without being primarily about vaccines, and the wording and context of the testimony matter. They may also see a partisan investigation based on disputed claims as risking reputational harm before the evidence is assessed, while stressing that Kennedy denies discouraging vaccination and the health department rejects the allegation that he lied.
Explained simply
Robert F Kennedy Jr is a US politician and health campaigner who became the country’s health secretary in 2025. Before his appointment, senators questioned him at confirmation hearings, where candidates explain their views and record before the Senate considers whether to approve them.
Ron Wyden and Angela Alsobrooks are Democratic senators. Their inquiry centres on Kennedy’s 2019 visit to Samoa and what he said about its purpose: before travelling, he wrote that he wanted to study the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while later telling senators the trip was unrelated to vaccines.
Samoa experienced a measles outbreak in 2019 that killed 83 people, most of them children under five. Kennedy has denied discouraging vaccination, and the health department has rejected claims that he lied; the inquiry concerns whether his statements to Congress were accurate.
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