Senate Democrats are questioning whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to bypass an ethics agreement. Concerns arose from discrepancies in his financial disclosures.
During last year’s confirmation process, Kennedy was involved in a lawsuit through law firm Wisner Baum against Merck. The lawsuit claimed Merck’s HPV vaccine, Gardasil, caused neurological and autoimmune injuries. Merck settled the lawsuit for $50 million earlier this year without admitting wrongdoing but maintained the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.
Wisner Baum clarified that neither Kennedy nor his son would benefit from the settlement, contradicting the secretary’s Congressional testimony on divestment. HHS stated Kennedy initially planned to transfer his interests to his son. In May, HHS disclosed the interests were assigned to Wisner Baum, confirmed by the firm.
This inconsistency raised concerns among Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, and Angela Alsobrooks. They wrote that the change prompted doubts about Kennedy’s decision to revert his stakes to Wisner Baum. The senators requested clarification to determine if there were any benefits or arrangements due to Kennedy upon leaving government.
HHS Senior Press Secretary Emily Hilliard responded in a statement, asserting Kennedy fully complied with his ethics agreement, divesting from Gardasil contingency-fee cases before assuming his role as Secretary. She emphasized Kennedy retained no financial interest and his adherence was confirmed by HHS ethics officials to Congressional committees. Any allegations of Kennedy holding financial interest post-office are false.
This topic emerged in The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter, curated by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi, focusing on healthcare policy developments impacting health nationwide.
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