Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, obfuscated when asked in a heated exchange with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) whether he would continue to take money from lawsuits he referred against drug companies.
Wisner Baum, a personal injury law firm that employs Kennedy’s son, Conor, is leading litigation against Merck over alleged serious side effects from its human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil. Kennedy has profited from a consulting deal with the firm and, under his ethics agreement, would retain a 10 percent stake of fees awarded by the court — as long as the cases do not involve HHS or the U.S. government.
“You won’t go to work for a drug company after you leave HHS, but you and I both know there’s another way to make money,” Warren said before asking Kennedy whether he’d decline compensation from lawsuits against drug companies during his government service and for four years afterward.
Kennedy first said he’d “certainly commit” to forgoing compensation while he’s secretary — contradicting his ethics statement — and suggested Warren was asking him not to sue pharma companies while serving.
Kennedy has also made millions advocating against vaccinations through books and his nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, from which he resigned late last year. According to public tax filings from December 2023, Michael Baum, senior partner at Wisner Baum, is also on the board of Children’s Health Defense.
The nominee still expects millions from book deals, including a book titled “Unsettled Science.”
“You can sue drug companies as much as you want,” Warren said. “If you get confirmed, you could influence every one of those lawsuits,” she added, listing myriad ways Kennedy could alter vaccine policy and recommendations — including decisions that could affect drugmakers’ liability protections.
Kennedy said he’d follow “all the ethical guidelines,” prompting Warren to angrily push back.
“Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it,” she said. “Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”
“I support vaccines. I support the childhood schedule,” Kennedy responded. “I will do that. The only thing I want is good science, and that’s it.”
Daniel Payne contributed to this report.
