Wyden and Alsobrooks Open Probe Into Whether RFK Jr. Lied to Congress About Samoa Trip

Two Democratic senators have opened a formal investigation into whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lied to Congress about the purpose of his 2019 trip to Samoa. It is one of the first oversight efforts aimed at Kennedy as Democrats prepare to take over both chambers in January.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland sent a letter Wednesday, Nov. 11, to the general counsel of Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit Kennedy formerly chaired. They want a broad set of records on the Samoa travel, his 2024 presidential campaign and his Senate confirmation. They also want every communication between the group and federal officials since Trump's second term began in January 2025.

The deadline is Dec. 4. Children's Health Defense had not responded to requests for comment.

What Kennedy told senators

In two confirmation hearings in January 2025, Kennedy told senators that his Samoa visit had "nothing to do with vaccines." He was not under oath. Knowingly giving materially false testimony to Congress is a crime with a possible prison term whether or not a witness is under oath, though it is rarely prosecuted.

In August, the Associated Press and The Guardian published letters obtained through an open-records lawsuit brought by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. One, dated Jan. 20, 2019, went to then-Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi on Children's Health Defense letterhead. Kennedy used the word "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times. He proposed that his team conduct a "detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines." He also speculated that two children's deaths may have stemmed from problems with different vaccine lots.

The letter did not specifically discuss anti-vaccine activism. While in Samoa, Kennedy met with anti-vaccine activists, including one who helped arrange the trip with a U.S. Embassy employee, according to the AP and Guardian.

"Evidence thus suggests that Kennedy's 2019 trip to Samoa was focused, in whole or in part, on vaccines," Wyden and Alsobrooks wrote. In a letter obtained by The Guardian, Wyden said the senators were examining evidence that Kennedy "unlawfully lied to Congress on multiple occasions."

"We intend to hold Secretary Kennedy accountable for the grave harm he has caused to vulnerable children," the senators wrote. They added that they would also pursue "any false statements made to Congress."

HHS pushes back

HHS has held its position since August. The department says the visit "was unrelated to vaccines." In a statement to the AP, it said "any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory."

Kennedy has also denied the broader criticism of the trip. He says he never made a public statement about vaccines in Samoa or discouraged anyone from getting vaccinated. Samoan officials and public health experts say his presence emboldened anti-vaccine activists. The measles outbreak that followed months later killed 83 people, mostly children under 5, and sickened thousands.

No charge or criminal referral has been announced. The senators are asking for voluntary cooperation for now. Wyden is expected to chair the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees HHS, when the new Congress convenes. Alsobrooks sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Once Democrats hold the majority, subpoenas become an option if the group declines to hand over documents.

The gifts inquiry

The same two senators announced a separate investigation into gifts given to Kennedy by Gavin de Becker. The AP described him as a donor and former employee, and reported the gifts were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wyden and Alsobrooks' letter to Kennedy is dated Nov. 10.

The gifts included flights and a stay at a property de Becker owns. The senators cited federal ethics rules barring executive branch officials from accepting gifts from a "prohibited source," which includes anyone whose interests could be substantially affected by an employee's official duties. "It seems abundantly clear that Mr. de Becker is a prohibited source," they wrote.

They said de Becker has promoted ketamine, a therapy under review by Kennedy's agency, and published a 2025 book promoting many of the same vaccine theories Kennedy holds. The White House has separately responded to allegations of influence peddling involving the administration. Kennedy has not publicly answered the senators' ethics claim in these documents.

What comes next

Children's Health Defense must decide by Dec. 4 whether to hand over the Samoa records. Whether Kennedy's 2025 testimony was a knowing falsehood or a narrow answer about his trip's purpose is what the senators want to establish and HHS flatly denies. The senators have until the new Congress is seated in January to build that record before they can compel anything.