RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents refute that

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health Secretary, claimed a 2019 visit to Samoa before a deadly measles outbreak had "nothing to do with vaccines." However, new documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian contradict this statement. According to STAT News, Fortune, and Associated Press, Kennedy wrote a letter to the Samoan prime minister before the visit, requesting to study the Pacific island nation's measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.

The letter, which Kennedy wrote after the deaths of two children who had received the vaccines, used the words "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times. This raises questions about the truthfulness of Kennedy's testimony before Congress, as reported by Fortune and Associated Press. During his confirmation process, Kennedy needed the support of skeptical Republican lawmakers and pledged to maintain vaccine policies, which he later changed.

The Department of Health and Human Services responded to questions from Associated Press, stating that the Samoa visit "was unrelated" to vaccines, but the documents suggest otherwise. Kennedy's visit and letter have sparked concerns about his actions and motivations, particularly given his prominent anti-vaccine activism at the time, as noted by STAT News and Fortune.

Brief written by urgent.news from STAT News, Fortune, Associated Press — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.