RFK Jr. says he's resigned from anti-vaccine nonprofit as he seeks
nation's top health official job
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[January 23, 2025]
By AMANDA SEITZ
WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is distancing himself from his
anti-vaccine work as he seeks to become the leader of the nation's top
health agency under President Donald Trump, according to government
ethics documents released Wednesday.
Kennedy has pulled in roughly $10 million in income from his work over
the past year, which includes speaking fees, leading an anti-vaccine
nonprofit and legal fees, government ethics forms filed for his
nomination show. He has millions of dollars more tied up in investments
and other assets.
If confirmed, he has promised to stop collecting fees on some of his
vaccine lawsuits involving the U.S. government.
Kennedy is a lawyer who has worked on lawsuits involving environmental
and vaccine injury claims against some of the country's biggest
companies. He also said he would forgo payment from claims against the
U.S. under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation program.
A spokesperson for Kennedy did not immediately respond to a request for
comment Wednesday about the filing.
As of December, Kennedy said in the filing that he is no longer serving
as chairman or chief legal counsel for Children's Health Defense, his
nonprofit that launched lawsuits against the federal government over
vaccines, including the authorization of the COVID-19 shot in children.
He previously made a $326,000 salary for three months of work at the
nonprofit in 2023.
But he will still benefit in other ways from his anti-vaccine advocacy,
which has spanned several years. Compensation will continue to flow into
Kennedy's bank accounts from referral fees for legal cases that don't
involve the U.S. government, including fees he collects from a law firm
that's sued Merck over Gardasil, its human papillomavirus vaccine that
prevents cervical cancer. Last year, he made over $850,000 from the
arrangement.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be
secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks during a meeting with
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday,
Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
He will also still get royalties
from books he's written, some of which have spread falsehoods about
vaccine safety and other health issues. Kennedy said he expects at
least $2 million in advances for two forthcoming books, though he
said he would not promote or do further work on those titles if
confirmed.
Despite his criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, Kennedy also
holds investments in biotech industries, which he would regulate if
confirmed to lead the Health and Human Services Department. Kennedy
says he plans to divest as much as $50,000 with Dragonfly
Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that develops cancer drugs,
as well as up to $15,000 he has in CRISPR Therapeutics, a
gene-editing technology.
A Senate finance committee hearing for Kennedy is scheduled for
later this month. The lawyer-turned-politician was seen around
Washington in recent days, joining in on festivities for Trump's
inauguration.
He even hosted his own “Make America Healthy Again” ball on the day
Trump was sworn in. “MAHA” has become a popular slogan among Trump
and Kennedy loyalists alike.
And that's another thing Kennedy reports he's profited from in his
ethics filing — MAHA merchandise, which has made him $100,000.
—
Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I. contributed to this report.
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