Senators Seek Records in Inquiry Into RFK Jr.’s Samoa Trip Testimony

Lawmakers request documents

November 12, 2026, 12:18 p.m. Central time.

Two Democratic senators have begun an inquiry into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s account to Congress of his 2019 trip to Samoa, asking an organization he formerly chaired for records related to his travel and confirmation.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland sent the November 11 letter to Children’s Health Defense. They asked the group to provide documents by December 4. Their request is an investigation by lawmakers, not a finding that Kennedy committed a crime.

The disputed testimony

At his 2025 confirmation hearings, Kennedy said his visit to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccines and said he went to discuss a medical records system.

The Associated Press and The Guardian reported in August on a January 2019 letter Kennedy sent to Samoa’s prime minister before the visit. In it, Kennedy proposed a detailed assessment of what had happened with the country’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccine program. The senators cited that letter when questioning his account.

The Department of Health and Human Services has maintained that the visit was unrelated to vaccines. In an August response to the Associated Press, it rejected the suggestion that the letters showed Kennedy had lied to Congress.

What the senators want

The senators requested material related to travel, meetings and communications with Samoan officials, as well as records concerning Kennedy’s presidential campaign, his confirmation and communications between the group and federal officials since January 2025.

Wyden is the current ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee; Alsobrooks serves on the Senate health committee. Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing, the AP reported. The lawmakers’ letter states an allegation and a request for records; it does not establish that a violation occurred.

Why Samoa matters

Samoa suffered a severe measles outbreak later in 2019, after Kennedy’s visit. The Guardian reported that 83 people died, most of them children under five.

The senators’ inquiry concerns Kennedy’s statements and records surrounding his visit. The evidence described in their letter should not be read as proof that his trip alone caused the outbreak or any particular death.

Timeline

January 2019: Kennedy wrote to Samoa’s prime minister. May 2019: Kennedy visited Samoa. 2025: He discussed the trip during confirmation hearings. August 2026: AP and The Guardian reported on the earlier documents. November 11, 2026: Wyden and Alsobrooks requested records.

Sources and visual credits

Senators’ November 11 letter to Children’s Health Defense · Associated Press: lawmakers open inquiry · The Guardian: earlier reporting on Kennedy’s letters · Kennedy’s January 2019 letter

Hero and thumbnail: conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph.