- United States
- Calif.
- Letter
Launch an impeachment inquiry into Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The evidence is clear: Kennedy told senators his 2019 Samoa trip had "nothing to do with vaccines" — but a letter he wrote to the Samoan prime minister on January 20, 2019 used the words "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times and explicitly proposed that his team conduct a "detailed health informatics assessment" of Samoa's MMR vaccines. That is not a misstatement. That is a lie told to secure a cabinet confirmation.
Knowingly giving false testimony to Congress is a federal crime. Kennedy made these statements not once but repeatedly, under questioning from Senators Wyden and Markey. His visit preceded a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five, and public health experts say anti-vaccine activists emboldened by his trip hampered the response. A man who lied his way into office and whose actions contributed to that kind of preventable death toll has no business running the Department of Health and Human Services.