RFK Jr. tells senators he will not keep fees from vaccine lawsuit
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, told senators Friday he will divest his financial stake in a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Merck over its vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus.
In a written response to questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kennedy said he is amending his ethics agreement and that, if confirmed, he will not profit from the litigation.
“An amendment to my Ethics Agreement is in process. It provides that I will divest my interest in any such litigation via an assignment to my non-dependent, adult son,” Kennedy wrote.
Kennedy’s answers to written questions came after he testified Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee.
During the hearing, Democrats including Warren raised concerns about Kennedy’s intention to keep a financial interest from major lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers. In the ethics statement, Kennedy said he would keep 10 percent of the fees awarded in cases that he referred to Wisner Baum, a personal injury firm.
Democrats said it was a massive conflict of interest because he would be making money from lawsuits against the companies regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it,” Warren said during the hearing. “Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”
In a statement Friday after Kennedy’s answers were posted, Warren said there were still concerns.
“While he has now pledged in writing to fix his flawed ethics agreement, the answers he has provided to this committee also raise new questions about the scope of his conflicts," Warren said, adding that the ethics agreement must ensure Kennedy "cannot use his role as Health Secretary to open the floodgates to more anti-vaccine litigation and then cash in after he leaves office.”
“Given these ongoing questions, RFK Jr.'s nomination must not move forward to any Senate vote until the details of his revised ethics agreement can be thoroughly reviewed," Warren said.
According to public records, Kennedy has made about $2.5 million since 2022 in his work with Wisner Baum.
-
In major reversal, Kennedy tells senators he won't take money from vaccine lawsuit
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earned millions from referrals in suit against Merck over HPV vaccine.ABC News - 44m -
RFK Jr. Says He Won’t Keep Financial Stake in HPV Vaccine Lawsuits
Senators had objected to the financial conflict posed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to retain a financial stake in lawsuits against a major drug company. It remains unclear whether any ...The New York Times - 23h -
Senators grill RFK Jr. on vaccinations in confirmation hearing
Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended some of his past controversial vaccine statements on the first day of his confirmation hearings Wednesday. CBS News ...CBS News - 1d -
As RFK Jr. faces Senate hearings, here's where he stands on vaccines, food dyes
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces his Senate confirmation hearings to lead the HHS, here's where he stands on health issues including vaccines and food dyes.ABC News - 1d -
Caroline Kennedy tells senators RFK Jr. is a 'predator'
Caroline Kennedy, former President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, told senators in a letter that her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human ...The Hill - 3d -
RFK Jr. says he’s not anti-vaccine. But he could profit off claim in vaccine lawsuit.
RFK Jr. played a lead role in building a case against Merck's HPV vaccine and could profit from the lawsuit alleging fraud, even if confirmed as health secretary.ABC News - 3d -
GOP senator: RFK Jr. 'wrong' on vaccinations
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a medical doctor, said President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is “wrong” about vaccinations. In an interview on ...The Hill - Jan. 6
More from The Hill
-
Trump says plane crash remarks won’t blunt investigation
President Trump said Friday that his remarks on the investigation into the deadly midair collision earlier this week near Reagan National Airport does not stand to impact the probe, expressing ...The Hill - 23m -
Trump vows sweeping tariffs on oil, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors
President Trump on Friday vowed to impose sweeping tariffs on semiconductor chips, pharmaceuticals, steel and aluminum and oil and gas. "We'll be doing pharmaceuticals. Importantly in drugs and ...The Hill - 51m -
Evening Report — Dems seek new leader, path forward
{beacon} Evening Report TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS © AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough Dems to elect new leader as party searches for a way forward DEMOCRATS WILL ELECT a new political leader this weekend, ...The Hill - 1h -
Judge formally blocks Trump’s federal aid freeze
A federal judge blocked President Trump’s federal aid freeze Friday, finding that Democratic state attorneys general who sued are likely to prevail in their claims that it is illegal. U.S. ...The Hill - 1h -
Colombian president urges undocumented Colombians in US to return
Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged undocumented Colombians who are living in the U.S. to return home, saying they would be rewarded for it. "I ask undocumented Colombians in the U.S. to ...The Hill - 1h
More in Politics
-
Trump says plane crash remarks won’t blunt investigation
President Trump said Friday that his remarks on the investigation into the deadly midair collision earlier this week near Reagan National Airport does not stand to impact the probe, expressing ...The Hill - 23m -
Trump sparks outcry with implication that DEI policies are at fault in D.C. midair collision
In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, ...NBC News - 48m -
Trump sparks outcry with implication that DEI policies are at fault in D.C. midair collision
In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, ...NBC News - 48m -
Trump vows sweeping tariffs on oil, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors
President Trump on Friday vowed to impose sweeping tariffs on semiconductor chips, pharmaceuticals, steel and aluminum and oil and gas. "We'll be doing pharmaceuticals. Importantly in drugs and ...The Hill - 51m -
Evening Report — Dems seek new leader, path forward
{beacon} Evening Report TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS © AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough Dems to elect new leader as party searches for a way forward DEMOCRATS WILL ELECT a new political leader this weekend, ...The Hill - 1h