Secretary Kennedy's Samoa Visit Claims Fabricated Deaths
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Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), suggested late Wednesday that the deaths in the state may have been “fabricated” after a Republican coroner – an elected political office in Lancaster county – claimed one of the measles-associated deaths was unrelated to the virus, although the given cause would be consistent with measles.
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HuffPostKennedy, one of the most prominent vaccine skeptics in the country, has been sparring with Shapiro following the announcement of the two measles-associated deaths.
The AtlanticThe situation does not seem to be as clear-cut in Pennsylvania. A fatal splenic injury caused by a congenital measles infection may be plausible, but it would not be a typical cause of death from the disease. And regardless of whether measles unequivocally led to either of the two deaths in Pennsylvania, officials have already emboldened vaccine skeptics and lent credibility to their doubts.
NBC NewsAfter the Pennsylvania Health Department announced Wednesday that one of the two people whose deaths in the state were associated with measles was an infant, the coroner involved in the case has said he does not consider measles to be the cause of death.
Breitbart“The Lancaster County coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, said in an interview Wednesday evening that the baby died shortly after birth from an internal hemorrhage and ‘traumatic rupture’ of the spleen,” reports far-left NBC News. “He said he found evidence of the measles virus in the infant’s lung tissue.”
PBS NewsHourAP report: RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents refute that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, preempted the 2019 visit with a letter to the Samoan prime minister requesting to study the Pacific island nation's measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. In the letter, he used the words vaccine or vaccination eight times.
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Lawyers with expertise in Senate procedure said that if lawmakers choose, they could use Kennedy’s statements as grounds for hearings, an impeachment inquiry or creating other obstacles for him. But such action is unlikely under the current Republican-led Congress, which is aligned with President Donald Trump’s administration.
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The Guardian USStill, attorneys with expertise in Senate procedure said that if Democrats win control of the House or Senate in November’s elections, they could use Kennedy’s statements as grounds for hearings or an impeachment inquiry, or to create other obstacles for the Trump administration.
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“It is clear that Kennedy misled Congress about his intentions in Samoa and his stance on vaccinations during his confirmation hearings two years ago. It is time for him to immediately resign,” Green said. “He must do this for the safety and health of our country.”
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HuffPostThe letter raises questions about how truthful Kennedy was in testimony before Congress. During an arduous confirmation process where he needed the support of some skeptical Republican lawmakers to advance, Kennedy also pledged to maintain vaccine policies that, once in office, he moved to change.
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The Department of Health and Human Services said in response to questions from the AP that the Samoa visit “was unrelated to vaccines.”
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The Guardian USThe Guardian sought comment from the Department of Health and Human Services about the Democratic officials’ calls for investigation or removal, but it did not immediately respond. In a previously issued statement it said Kennedy’s visit to Samoa “was unrelated to vaccines. Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory.”
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“Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory,” the department said in a written statement. Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing. Knowingly giving material false testimony to Congress is a crime that carries a possible prison sentence regardless of whether a person is under oath, though it is rarely prosecuted.
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The Guardian USKennedy was not under oath during the two confirmation hearings. Wyden’s staff said whether he was under oath is not relevant since it is a crime to lie during a confirmation hearing either way.
7 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 The Guardian US Brian Hooker at Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization that until recently was led by Kennedy, said in a recent video that the organization is “trying to get boots on the ground” and “do outreach” in Pennsylvania.
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02 The Hill Mother sought after baby found dead in porta-potty at Michigan music festival Detectives are making progress in their search for the mother of an infant found dead in a porta potty at a music festival, according to a prosecutor in close communication with Michigan State Police.
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03 The Atlantic As a pathologist, I am used to fielding questions about how and why people die. Such calls were particularly frequent during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when many people doubted COVID-19’s official death toll. Some alleged that anyone who merely happened to die while infected—in a car crash, let’s say, or from cancer—was being counted in official numbers. (In fact, government statistics were underestimating the number of Americans who were dying from COVID.) Admittedly, determining why someone died is in many cases difficult for experts such as myself. The body is a frustratingly complex machine. A mild illness can lead to a cascade of severe bodily dysfunction; disparate diseases may all crop up simultaneously.
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04 Breitbart The Lancaster County coroner has ruled that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Liar) is a shamelessly dishonest demagogue responsible for further undermining public confidence in “The Science…”
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05 NBC News The Health Department has not provided details about the second death linked to measles, though it said Tuesday that both people were unvaccinated. Newborns are not eligible for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; the first dose is recommended at 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years.
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06 New York Times Controversy Erupts Over Pennsylvania Measles Deaths The conflict, which largely falls along political lines, centers on the details of one of the deaths, in a newborn.
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07 HuffPost Dr. Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, contested the validity of the claims made by Kennedy without naming the Trump official.
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