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Robert F Kennedy Jr. Testimony Contradicted by Letters Regarding 2019 Samoa Visit

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. faced scrutiny after newly obtained letters contradicted his testimony during confirmation hearings. While Kennedy told lawmakers that his 2019 visit to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccines, a letter he wrote to the Samoan prime minister prior to the trip explicitly stated his desire to study the nation's measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. Kennedy, who led the anti-vaccine nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, visited the island just months before a measles outbreak killed 83 people. Critics argue his visit emboldened anti-vaccine activists, while Kennedy maintained the trip's primary purpose was to introduce a medical informatics system. The Department of Health and Human Services defended the secretary, stating the claim that he lied under oath is false and defamatory. However, the contradiction remains a point of interest for Democrats, who may use the statement as grounds for future hearings or an impeachment inquiry. The administration announced that the visit was unrelated to vaccines, though the secretary's personal letters suggest otherwise.

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