RFK Jr.’s Samoa Trip: Contradictory Testimony and Emerging Political Scrutiny

During his 2025 Senate confirmation hearings for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified that his 2019 trip to Samoa was unrelated to vaccines. Newly released diplomatic letters, obtained by The Guardian and the Associated Press, show Kennedy wrote to Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi on January 20, 2019 proposing a study of the nation’s measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The letters mention “vaccine” or “vaccination” eight times, directly contradicting his congressional testimony.

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At the time of the trip, Kennedy chaired Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit known for anti-vaccine activism. In July 2018, two Samoan infants died after receiving an improperly mixed MMR dose; the nurses involved later pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The Samoan government halted all vaccinations for ten months, causing immunization rates to plunge. CHD began contacting Samoan officials during the suspension, seeking a “detailed health informatics assessment” of the MMR program.

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• January 20 2019 – Kennedy’s letter to Prime Minister Tuilaepa proposes a vaccine-focused assessment.

Oroville Mercury Register

• June 1 2019 – Kennedy, his wife Cheryl Hines, and CHD colleague Michael Graven attend Samoa’s 57th Independence Celebration.

Oroville Mercury Register

• February 2025 – Senate HELP Committee hearing; Kennedy repeats the denial.

American Oversight

• 2026 – The Guardian and AP publish the letters, prompting calls for investigation.

Salon

• The measles outbreak that followed the trip sickened more than 5,700 Samoans and killed 83 people, most under five.

Forbes

• Vaccination coverage fell to 31 %, down from 84 % four years earlier.

Common Dreams

• Kennedy was confirmed by a 52-48 Senate vote.

The Independent

• HHS stated Kennedy’s Samoa visit “was unrelated to vaccines” and called claims of perjury “false but outright defamatory.”

The Guardian

• The White House declined comment.

Oroville Mercury Register

• Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and HELP Committee member Edward Markey (D-MA) pressed Kennedy on the discrepancy during the hearings.

The Guardian

• Ron Wyden (D-OR) called the alleged false statements “a pattern, not a slip” and urged a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

The Guardian

• “I would propose my team conduct detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines,” — Kennedy, letter

The Guardian

• “My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with vaccines.” — Kennedy, letter

The Guardian

• “RFK’s platform is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake. There are consequences for lying to Congress,” — Ron Wyden

Salon

• “It is clear that Kennedy misled Congress about his intentions in Samoa and his stance on vaccinations during his confirmation hearings two years ago.” — Josh Green, MD

The Guardian

HHS maintains the trip was unrelated to vaccines, while the January 2019 letters describe a vaccine-focused mission. No response has been received from the Samoan prime minister’s office.

The Independent

Senator Wyden announced he will press Republican Senate colleagues to refer the matter to the Justice Department. American Oversight has sent a formal request to the DOJ for a criminal investigation under 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The dispute now centers on whether Kennedy’s statements constitute material falsehoods to Congress and how the alleged misrepresentation may have influenced Samoa’s vaccine landscape.

The Guardian