RFK Jr. Senate Investigation: Senators Probe Kennedy’s Samoa Trip and Vaccine Testimony
Published November 13, 2026
Two Democratic senators have opened an investigation into whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave Congress false information about a 2019 trip to Samoa. During his January 2025 confirmation hearings, Kennedy told senators the visit had nothing to do with vaccines. A letter he sent to Samoa’s prime minister before the trip, made public in August, discusses the country’s measles vaccines at length. HHS says the visit was unrelated to vaccines and calls any claim that Kennedy lied false and defamatory. The inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Why Ron Wyden and Angela Alsobrooks Are Investigating Kennedy
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland announced the inquiry in a letter sent Wednesday, November 11, according to Bloomberg and CNN. Wyden is the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, one of the panels that held Kennedy’s confirmation hearings. CNN reported that he is expected to become the committee’s chairman when Democrats take majority control of the Senate in January.
In their letter, the senators said they were deeply concerned about what they described as Kennedy’s tactics to keep children from receiving vaccines, both before and during his time as secretary. Those are the senators’ characterizations, not established findings.
Alsobrooks had already called publicly for Kennedy to resign or be fired. Several Democrats have also discussed further investigations, or possible impeachment proceedings, next year. Those political stakes are part of the context for readers to keep in mind.
What Kennedy Told Senators About His Samoa Visit
Kennedy faced questions about Samoa at two confirmation hearings in January 2025. Asked about the trip by Wyden, he said it had nothing to do with vaccines and that he had gone to introduce a medical informatics system to digitize Samoa’s health records. The next day, answering Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, he again said his purpose had nothing to do with vaccines.
Kennedy also argued that Samoa had suspended its measles vaccination program before he arrived. So, he said, his visit couldn’t be blamed for the outbreak that followed. In written responses to senators, he said his words had nothing to do with vaccine uptake in Samoa or with the 2019 epidemic.
What the Previously Obtained Documents Show
In August 2026, The Associated Press and The Guardian published a letter Kennedy sent on January 20, 2019, on Children’s Health Defense letterhead, to Samoa’s then-prime minister, TuilaÊ»epa SaÊ»ilele Malielegaoi.
- The letter referred to vaccines or vaccination eight times.
- Kennedy proposed that his team conduct a detailed health informatics assessment of what had happened with Samoa’s MMR vaccines.
- The prime minister replied about a month later, welcoming an independent assessment of the country’s MMR vaccines and inviting Kennedy to visit.
The letter does mention health informatics, the explanation Kennedy later gave senators. But it frames that work around investigating vaccine safety. Critics say that contradicts his testimony. HHS disputes that the letters show he lied.
Kennedy, Children’s Health Defense and Samoa
Kennedy chaired Children’s Health Defense (CHD), a nonprofit known for anti-vaccine activism, until December 2024. He visited Samoa in June 2019 with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, and a CHD official. Kennedy has said the trip was arranged by a local anti-vaccine activist, Edwin Tamasese. While there, he met with Samoan officials and with people opposed to vaccination, the AP and Guardian have reported.
Later in 2019, as measles spread, Kennedy wrote another letter to the prime minister. In it, he suggested, without evidence, that a defective vaccine might be involved. Samoa’s top health official later called Kennedy’s account of his role a “complete lie,” and said the visit had emboldened local anti-vaccine voices. Kennedy has consistently denied that he influenced vaccination decisions in Samoa.
Samoa’s 2019 Measles Outbreak: What Happened
Context matters for understanding why the trip draws scrutiny:
- July 2018: two infants died shortly after receiving MMR vaccines. An investigation found that nurses had mixed the vaccine powder with an expired muscle relaxant instead of the correct diluent. Samoa suspended its measles vaccination program for several months.
- Through 2019: vaccination rates, already low, fell further. Anti-vaccine messages circulated on social media at home and abroad.
- Late 2019: measles spread rapidly, infecting more than 5,700 people in a country of about 200,000. Samoa declared a state of emergency and launched a mass vaccination campaign.
- Toll: 83 people died, most of them children under 5.
Public health experts point to several causes, including low vaccination coverage, the suspension after the 2018 deaths, and misinformation. No investigation has established that Kennedy’s visit caused the outbreak.
What Records the Senators Are Requesting
The senators’ document requests went to Children’s Health Defense, according to Bloomberg and The Guardian. CNN described the letter as also notifying Kennedy and seeking records from him. The requests reportedly cover:
- Trips to Samoa by Kennedy, CHD employees or affiliates, and correspondence with Samoan officials
- Records related to Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign and his Senate confirmation process
- Materials connected to a speech at CHD’s September conference
- Communications between CHD and federal officials since January 20, 2025
The last request reflects a broader question the senators have raised: whether the group Kennedy once led has had unusual access to federal health officials since he took office.
How HHS Has Responded
An HHS spokesperson has said that Kennedy’s 2019 visit to Samoa “was unrelated to vaccines.” The spokesperson also said any claim or insinuation based on the letters that he lied to Congress is “not only false but outright defamatory.” HHS and CHD didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the new investigation, CNN reported.
Testimony Under Oath vs. False Statements to Congress
Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearings, the AP has reported. That doesn’t end the legal question.
- Perjury involves knowingly lying while under oath.
- False statements to Congress are covered by a separate federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 1001. It makes it a crime to knowingly and willfully make a materially false statement to Congress, whether or not the speaker is under oath.
To prove a violation, prosecutors would have to show the statement was false, that it mattered to the decision at hand, and that the speaker knew it was false. A congressional investigation can gather facts, but only the Justice Department can bring charges. The watchdog group American Oversight and Wyden have both previously asked the Justice Department to investigate. There’s no public indication that it has opened a case.
What This Means for Congressional Oversight
For now, the inquiry is led by members of the minority party, which limits their power to compel documents. If Democrats take control of the Senate in January as expected, committee chairs could issue subpoenas, hold hearings and seek testimony. Supporters of the inquiry frame it as holding a cabinet official accountable for what he told Congress. Kennedy’s defenders and HHS describe the accusations as false and politically motivated.
What Happens Next
- Document deadline: news reports say the senators asked for records by December 4.
- Responses: watch for whether CHD and HHS comply, decline or dispute the requests.
- January: a change in Senate control could expand the investigation’s tools.
- Justice Department: any criminal inquiry would be a separate decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RFK Jr. Senate investigation about?
Sens. Ron Wyden and Angela Alsobrooks are examining whether Kennedy gave Congress false information when he said his 2019 Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines.
Did Kennedy cause Samoa’s measles outbreak?
No investigation has established that. The outbreak followed a vaccination suspension and very low coverage. Critics say Kennedy’s activities encouraged vaccine hesitancy, and Kennedy denies it.
Was Kennedy under oath?
No, according to the AP. Federal law still prohibits knowingly making materially false statements to Congress.
What does HHS say?
HHS says the trip was unrelated to vaccines and calls claims that Kennedy lied false and defamatory.
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