Senate Democrats question if Kennedy struck a deal in vaccine lawsuit

Four Democratic senators — Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal and Angela Alsobrooks — are asking whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. found a way around the ethics agreement he signed before joining the Cabinet, after spotting inconsistencies in his financial disclosures tied to a lawsuit against Merck. Kennedy remained connected during his confirmation to litigation brought by law firm Wisner Baum accusing Merck's HPV vaccine, Gardasil, of causing neurological and autoimmune harm, according to The Hill.

Kennedy told Congress he would hand off his stake in the case to his son, but a May HHS disclosure showed the interest instead reverted to Wisner Baum, a shift the firm confirmed. Merck later resolved the litigation for $50 million without accepting fault, insisting the shot remains safe and effective, and Wisner Baum said afterward that neither Kennedy nor his son stood to gain from that payout — a claim at odds with his earlier account to lawmakers.

The senators told Kennedy the change left open questions about why he gave up the stake and whether doing so might bring him added benefits from the firm once he leaves government, noting he had not explained the switch. HHS senior press secretary Emily Hilliard responded that Kennedy fully divested his interest in the Gardasil cases before taking office, retained no financial stake in the fees, and that ethics officials had verified his compliance to Congress, calling any suggestion otherwise false.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Hill’s reporting. Read the full story at The Hill →