Democratic Senators Question Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Over Vaccine Fees

Four Democratic U.S. senators are questioning Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over conflicting disclosures regarding his financial interest in litigation involving Merck's Gardasil vaccine. The lawmakers allege that Kennedy's recent claim that neither he nor his family received money from the settlement contradicts his previous ethics filings and written testimony, in which he stated he would transfer his 10% fee from the cases to his son.

Kennedy, a former anti-vaccine activist and attorney in the cases, recently posted on social media that he relinquished any interest in the fees back to the Wisner Baum law firm. He accused Senator Elizabeth Warren and the media of "inventing lies."

The senators are seeking clarification on why Kennedy did not commit to recusing himself from health agency decisions involving Gardasil or vaccine litigation policymaking. The dispute centers on the disposal of fees related to a $50 million settlement paid by Organon & Co.