At his confirmation hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. toldsenators repeatedly that a 2019 trip he took to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccines. But documents obtained by health policy reporter Ali Swenson in collaboration with The Guardian refuted that account. The resulting accountability story shined a light on a senior public official whose truthfulness before lawmakers has come under scrutiny in the past.
A letter from Kennedy to the then-Samoan prime minister stated he planned to visit the Pacific island nation to study its measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. Swenson crafted a hard-hitting story that put the letter in the context of Kennedy’s other remarks to Congress that were also scrutinized, like his vows to maintain vaccine policies, which he moved to change after entering office. She and videojournalist Nathan Ellgren created a video explaining the development. Senators who had originally asked Kennedy about the purpose of his trip accused him of lying after seeing AP’s scoop. A government watchdog group referred Kennedy to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation.
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