Chicago – August 28, 2026
A senior US senator has called for a criminal investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr after a joint report by The Guardian and the Associated Press suggested he lied to Congress during his 2025 confirmation hearings.
Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden said Kennedy’s testimony about a 2019 trip to Samoa, which he repeatedly claimed had “nothing to do with vaccines”, was contradicted by newly released State Department documents.
In a January 2019 letter to Samoa’s prime minister, obtained through a freedom of information lawsuit, Kennedy proposed studying the country’s measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines and used the words “vaccine” or “vaccination” eight times.
Wyden told 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.” He said he would press Republican colleagues to refer the matter to the Justice Department.
The watchdog group American Oversight has also urged the DOJ to open a criminal inquiry under the federal false‑statements statute, which applies even if the witness is not under oath. Legal experts note such cases are rarely prosecuted, especially by an administration led by President Donald Trump, whose justice department is seen as unlikely to pursue charges against Kennedy.
