HealthRFK Jr.'s Samoa vaccine letter contradicts Senate testimonyAired August 29, 2026 at 3:38 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00A letter shows RFK Jr.0:01proposed investigating Samoa's MMR vaccines.0:04Now the man confirmed to lead U.S.0:06health policy is accused of lying to Congress about that trip.0:09The question is: Will the Justice Department act on the evidence?0:12That letter, written on official letterhead, used the words vaccine or vaccination0:17eight times.0:18Kennedy told the Prime Minister the deaths might have been a vaccine manufacturing0:21issue and proposed that his team conduct a detailed assessment of what happened with0:25the country's MMR shots.0:27But the actual cause was a preparation error.0:29On July 6th, 2018, two 12-month-old infants died at Safotu District Hospital on0:34Savai'i.0:35Nurses mixed the powdered vaccine with expired atricurium, a muscle relaxant,0:38instead of sterile water.0:40The nurses Luce Amotauval and Lutoji Teo were sentenced to five years and five0:43years, six months.0:44The chain of events began with those deaths.0:47Then came Kennedy's letter, the Prime Minister's reply, and his visit.0:51He arrived around May 30th, attended Independence Day celebrations on June 1 as a0:56guest, and met with anti-vaccine activists.0:59Around that time, his organization described measles as a mild, self-limiting1:03illness.1:04The measles outbreak killed 83 people, overwhelmingly children under five.1:10Vaccination coverage had fallen to about 31%.1:16The outbreak was declared in October 2019, a state of emergency followed, and it was1:21declared over in January 2020.1:23Public health experts said anti-vaccine activists hampered the response.1:27That's a stark contrast.1:29In January 2025, Kennedy told the Senate Finance Committee, I went there, nothing to1:34do with vaccines.1:35He said he went to introduce a medical informatics system.1:38To Senator Markey, he said, My purpose in going down there had nothing to do with1:42vaccines.2:01Senator Wyden called the documents proof of lying on the record.2:05and said he would press for a criminal referral.2:07Senator Markey said it's a pattern and that Kennedy must be removed.2:11Governor Greene, a physician who assisted in the Samoa response, urged him to resign2:16immediately.2:16The department rejected the contradiction, saying the visit was unrelated to2:20vaccines and that any claim of lying is defamatory.2:24Under federal law, false statements to Congress carry a five-year statute of2:28limitations.2:29Since the testimony was given in January 2025, the window remains open.2:33The watchdog group American Oversight has asked the Justice Department to2:36investigate, and senators have called for a criminal referral.2:40Whether the department acts remains to be seen.2:42The five-year window is still ticking.2:44The question is whether the Justice Department will act.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗