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More evidence has emerged that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), likely lied during his Senate confirmation hearings in early 2025 regarding his visit to the island nation of Samoa several years ago.

A newly disclosed email obtained by The Guardian demonstrates that Kennedy and his colleague Michael Graven had traveled to Samoa to examine health outcomes on the island, likely in hopes that it would help promote their anti-vaccine agenda. Kennedy had said otherwise during his Senate confirmation last year.

Samoa halted use of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines for children in 2018. Upon the onset of deaths from that decision, the country restarted the program in 2019, though anti-vaccine sentiment continued to grow among residents.

Kennedy and his team visited the island in 2019. Following his visit, 83 people died of measles, mostly children.

Graven stated to Samoan officials in that email that he and his team “all look forward to the opportunity to be of service to the people of Samoa with our mission.” Kennedy and Graven were coming to the island specifically to “evaluate outcomes associated with the recent discontinuity in vaccinations,” he added.

3 of RFK Jr.’s Favorite Anti-Vax Studies Are Being Retracted or Scrutinized

After Kennedy was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead HHS in January 2025, he faced scrutiny over his anti-vaccine disinformation campaign. Kennedy sought to downplay his anti-vaccine beliefs during his confirmation hearings, claiming that he visited Samoa to introduce health officials to a new “state of the art” medical information system.

“I went there, nothing to do with vaccines,”........

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