Story perspectives
Kennedy Faces Senate Heat Over Controversial Samoa Vaccine Trip
2/6/2026
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Story summary
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary nominee, faced Senate scrutiny over his 2019 Samoa trip during a measles outbreak that killed 83 people.
- Newly released emails show vaccine-safety concerns motivated the trip.
- Senators criticized him, saying his anti-vaccine stance fueled the outbreak.
- Documents show U.S. Embassy staff facilitated his Samoa visit.
- Kennedy's group, Children's Health Defense, sought connections with Samoan officials during vaccination-rate declines after a vaccine incident.
