Documents contradict RFK Jr.'s Senate testimony on Samoa vaccine trip, senators say
Senate Democrats including Ed Markey and Ron Wyden say newly released documents show Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave false statements to the Senate during his 2025 confirmation hearings about his 2019 trip to Samoa, where he was a leading anti-vaccine activist before a measles outbreak killed 83 people, mostly young children. Wyden called the discrepancy a crime and urged the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation, while Markey called it part of a broader pattern of dishonesty.
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Lying to Congress during a confirmation process carries potential legal consequences and could reignite efforts to remove Kennedy from his post overseeing US public health policy. The renewed scrutiny also ties directly to ongoing concerns about vaccine misinformation influencing federal health guidance under his leadership.
- Senators Markey and Wyden say new documents prove Kennedy misled the Senate during his confirmation hearings.
- The dispute centers on Kennedy's 2019 Samoa trip, linked to a deadly measles outbreak fueled by vaccine hesitancy.
- Wyden is calling for a Justice Department criminal investigation into Kennedy's testimony.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-08-28
Published there as: “"RFK Jr. has lied to the Senate": Lawmakers call for criminal probe, ouster”
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