Senators Press Kennedy on Gardasil Fee Disclosures
Democratic senators say RFK Jr.'s explanation of his Gardasil settlement stake conflicts with prior ethics filings.
A group of Democratic senators is challenging Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent account of how he handled a financial interest in litigation against Merck over its Gardasil vaccine. In a letter sent Monday, the lawmakers argue that his latest explanation conflicts with the answers he previously provided in written testimony and federal ethics documents.
The dispute centers on a $50 million settlement Merck agreed to pay earlier this year to resolve lawsuits over Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus. Before taking office, Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, had been an attorney of record in some of those cases. As health secretary, he now oversees agencies that regulate and fund vaccines.
During his confirmation process, Kennedy initially said he planned to keep a 10% fee from any Gardasil settlement for cases he referred to the Wisner Baum law firm. After concerns were raised by Senator Elizabeth Warren and others, he said he would instead transfer that financial interest to his son.
Last month, the senators asked whether his son had received the fees and how much they amounted to. In a social media post earlier this month, Kennedy said neither he nor any family member had received a penny from the settlement, adding that he had relinquished his interest back to the law firm before taking office. He also accused Warren and media outlets of inventing lies about him.
The senators' letter points out that his ethics filings and written answers to the Senate Finance Committee last year stated he would hand the fees to his son. Their staff could not find any subsequent filings that changed that arrangement. The lawmakers said his recent statement suggests he either modified his ethics agreement or strayed from it.
They have asked Kennedy to explain why he certified he would transfer the stake to a family member if that did not happen. An HHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The CDC currently recommends Gardasil as a routine immunization for 11- and 12-year-olds. Earlier this year, the agency attempted to change its guidance to a single dose, but a federal judge blocked that move.