Exclusive: RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents refute that

NEW YORK (AP) – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

What happened

NEW YORK (AP) – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Repeatedly informed lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation last year that a 2019 visit to Samoa before a deadly measles outbreak had " nothing to do with vaccines." New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian refute that testimony.

Kennedy, then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, preceded the visit with a letter to the Samoan prime minister requesting to study the Pacific island nation's measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. In the letter, he applied the words vaccine or vaccination eight times.

Notably, the letter raises questions regarding how truthful Kennedy was in testimony before Congress. During an arduous confirmation process where he needed the backing of some skeptical Republican lawmakers to advance, Kennedy additionally pledged to maintain vaccine policies that, once in office, he moved to change.

The bottom line

In short, exclusive: RFK Jr. Said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.