Top Democrat will investigate whether RFK Jr. lied to Congress

Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the influential Senate Finance Committee, is spearheading an investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to determine if he falsely testified to Congress during his 2025 confirmation hearing. The probe focuses on Kennedy's statements regarding a 2019 trip to Samoa, which occurred amid a measles outbreak that year, and concerns over the safety of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.

In a letter notifying Kennedy of the inquiry, Wyden also requested all documentation pertaining to Kennedy's presidential campaign, his confirmation process, and any exchanges between federal health officials and Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization he previously headed. As Democrats assume majority control in January, Wyden is poised to oversee the Finance Committee.

This investigation follows several Democrats, including newly elected officials, vowing to probe and potentially impeach Kennedy next year. Kennedy testified during the 2025 confirmation hearing that the 2019 trip was unrelated to vaccines. However, prior to the measles outbreak, the Samoan government had suspended all vaccinations following two child deaths from improperly mixed MMR vaccines.

The nurses responsible were charged with manslaughter, leading to a national pause in immunizations until April 2019. The resulting measles outbreak resulted in 5,700 cases and 83 deaths. Despite Kennedy claiming the trip was not vaccine-related, communications from that period indicate otherwise. In January 2019, Kennedy had asked the then-Samoan Prime Minister to investigate the MMR vaccine incident and potential broader safety concerns.

In a 2021 blog post, Kennedy also mentioned vaccine discussions, specifically referencing an autistic individual whose condition was attributed to vaccine-induced fever and seizures. While medical research has disproven the link between vaccines and autism, Kennedy suggested the Samoan government's return to vaccinations was a "natural experiment" to monitor health outcomes.

Testifying falsely to Congress is a criminal offense, although prosecutions are rare. This year, Republican senators, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, have recommended that the Justice Department prosecute former National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci for false testimony concerning the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wyden's letter is co-signed by Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks, who tweeted on November 4, "The time is now. RFK Jr. must resign or be fired. End of discussion." Neither the Health and Human Services Department nor Children’s Health Defense responded to CNN's requests for comment.