Full Breakdown
Book Advances and Gifts to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
The Guardian reports that Robert F Kennedy Jr., serving as U.S. health secretary, has received roughly $4 million in book-advance payments over the past year from allies linked to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Background & Context
Skyhorse Publishing has previously issued Kennedy’s books such as *The Real Anthony Fauci* and *The Wuhan Cover-Up*. Tony Lyons, a longtime associate of Kennedy, leads both the publishing house and the Maha Center, creating a financial conduit between the nonprofit’s donors and the secretary’s publishing projects. Gavin de Becker, a security consultant and MAHA ally, has provided Kennedy with substantial non-monetary benefits, including a Washington, D.C., vacation home and extensive airfare for trips to Greece and Fiji.
Financial Details and Disclosures
Kennedy’s 2024 ethics filing includes a pledge to refrain from any writing, editing, marketing, or promotional services for the books while in government. His 2026 financial disclosure forms list $126,500 in housing benefits from de Becker’s D.C. property, nearly $45,000 in round-trip airfare to Greece, and about $97,000 for travel to Fiji. Additionally, Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, received $210,000 in consultation fees from Maha Action, another nonprofit led by Lyons. De Becker has also earned royalties from a Skyhorse title, *Forbidden Facts: Government Deceit and Suppression About Brain Damage From Childhood Vaccines*.
Official Statements & Responses
De Becker described his relationship with Kennedy as a long-standing friendship, noting that they host each other’s families and travel together.