Newly-obtained documents contradict assurances given by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to senators during his confirmation process last year, when he repeatedly claimed a 2019 trip to Samoa prior to a deadly measles outbreak had "nothing to do with vaccines." The records, obtained by The and The Guardian, reveal that Kennedy—then a prominent anti-vaccine campaigner—wrote to the Samoan prime minister ahead of his visit, asking to evaluate the nation’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccines following the deaths of two children. In the letter, he used the words vaccine or vaccination eight times.
The correspondence calls into question Kennedy’s truthfulness in his congressional testimony. During a tough confirmation battle where he relied on support from skeptical Republican senators, Kennedy also promised to uphold federal vaccine policies that he subsequently sought to alter after taking office. "I am writing this letter to you in the hope that we might be helpful to the people of your great nation," Kennedy wrote, suggesting the children's deaths could have stemmed from manufacturing problems.
He added: "I would propose my team conduct detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines," In response to questions from the AP, the Department of Health and Human Services maintained that the visit to Samoa "was unrelated to vaccines." "Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory," the department said in a written statement. Kennedy was not placed under oath for his confirmation hearing. Providing knowingly false material testimony to Congress is a crime punishable by prison regardless of whether a witness is under oath, though prosecutions are rare.
HHS declined to make Kennedy available for an interview, while the White House did not respond to a request for comment. Requests for comment sent to the Samoan prime minister’s office and the former prime minister who corresponded with Kennedy were also unanswered. The trip to Samoa remains one of the most contentious moments of Kennedy’s career.
At the time, he headed a nonprofit organization known for anti-vaccine advocacy. Critics contend his visit emboldened local anti-vaccine campaigners in Samoa before a measles outbreak swept the country, killing 83 people, primarily children under the age of 5. Experts in Senate procedure noted that lawmakers could potentially cite Kennedy’s statements to initiate hearings, launch an impeachment inquiry, or create procedural hurdles.
However, such actions remain improbable under the current Republican-controlled Congress, which is aligned with President Donald Trump's administration. At the start of Trump’s second term, Kennedy—a central figure in the anti-vaccine movement prior to entering public office—faced significant resistance in his bid to become health secretary. Lawmakers across both parties had voiced concern over his anti-vaccine statements, prompting him to reassure senators during confirmation hearings that he supported childhood vaccinations.
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