Trump's Health Chief RFK Jr. Faces New Probe Over Claims He Misled Congress About Samoa Trip

The senators' request centers on a letter Kennedy sent to Samoa's prime minister in January 2019, before making the trip.

Written on Children's Health Defense letterhead, the correspondence proposed an assessment of Samoa's measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines following the deaths of two children who had received improperly prepared doses.

Kennedy referenced vaccines or vaccination eight times in the letter, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian through open-records litigation.

He also suggested that his team examine whether problems with the vaccines could have contributed to the children's deaths.

The prime minister subsequently welcomed the proposed assessment and invited Kennedy's team to visit the country.

During his January 2025 confirmation hearings, however, Kennedy repeatedly insisted that his reason for traveling to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccines.

He told Wyden and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that he had gone to introduce a medical information system and had not publicly discussed vaccines during his visit.

The senators are now seeking records concerning the trip, Kennedy's communications with Samoan officials, his 2024 presidential campaign and his confirmation process.

Their request also covers the nonprofit's September convention and communications with federal officials since Jan. 20, 2025.

Kennedy traveled to Samoa in May and June 2019 while serving as chairman and chief legal counsel of Children's Health Defense. His wife, actress Cheryl Hines, and a colleague accompanied him.

The visit took place against the backdrop of a vaccination crisis. Samoa had temporarily suspended its measles immunization program after two infants died following the administration of improperly prepared vaccine doses. An investigation later attributed those deaths to human error.

Months after Kennedy's visit, the island experienced a devastating measles outbreak that killed 83 people, most of them children younger than 5. Public health experts have said anti-vaccine activism contributed to difficulties containing the outbreak, while critics have argued that Kennedy's presence gave vaccine skeptics greater confidence.

Kennedy has denied discouraging vaccination and maintained that he did not make public statements about vaccines during his visit. He has also disputed suggestions that his trip contributed to the outbreak.

The senators, however, say the newly obtained correspondence warrants a closer examination of what Kennedy told lawmakers while seeking confirmation as the nation's top health official.

The Department of Health and Human Services has previously rejected claims that Kennedy's Samoa visit was connected to vaccines.

Responding to questions from the Associated Press, the department said the trip "was unrelated to vaccines." It also dismissed accusations that Kennedy misled lawmakers, describing suggestions that he lied under oath or to Congress as "not only false but outright defamatory."

Children's Health Defense has not publicly responded to the latest records request, according to the Associated Press.

The senators' letter is a request for documents, not a subpoena. However, the lawmakers could pursue additional steps if the organization declines to cooperate.

There is also an important legal distinction surrounding Kennedy's confirmation hearing: He was not under oath when he made the disputed statements.

Knowingly making materially false statements to Congress can still carry criminal consequences, although such cases are rarely prosecuted.

Wyden has previously called for a criminal investigation into Kennedy's statements about Samoa and indicated that he wanted the matter referred to the Justice Department.

The latest inquiry adds to growing congressional scrutiny of the health secretary as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress following the 2026 midterm elections.

Wyden, currently the Senate Finance Committee's ranking member, is expected to become its chairman when the new Congress convenes in January 2027.

Several Democrats have also called for Kennedy to resign or face impeachment. However, the immediate focus of the senators' request is whether documents from his former nonprofit contradict his explanations to Congress.

The records could help lawmakers determine what Kennedy knew about the purpose of the Samoa visit, what he discussed with officials there, and whether his confirmation hearing statements warrant further action.