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PoliticsQuiet 6d · day 6

RFK Jr. altered ethics pledge on pharma lawsuit proceeds after confirmation

Senate Democrats accuse the health secretary of hiding a shift from pledged divestment to his former employer.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 5d ago3 pieces NewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Kennedy pledged during 2025 confirmation to transfer pharma lawsuit proceeds to his adult son but secretly reassigned them to Wisner Baum, his former employer where his son is employed.
  • Senate Democrats say Kennedy withheld the change from Congress and failed to report it to ethics officials, potentially violating federal disclosure laws.
  • The disclosure compounds earlier questions about Kennedy's transparency, including his claims about a 2019 Samoa trip unrelated to vaccines that contradicted obtained documents.

“These troubling findings call into question the veracity of your public ethics commitments, your transparency with Congress and the public, and potentially, your compliance with federal ethics disclosure laws and regulations.”

Senate Democrats, Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Angela Alsobrooks · The Independent ↗ · Sep 24

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health SecretaryElizabeth WarrenElizabeth Warren Senator (D-MA)Ron WydenRon Wyden Senator (D-OR)Richard BlumenthalRichard Blumenthal Senator (D-CT)Angela AlsobrooksAngela Alsobrooks Senator (D-MD)

RFK Jr. altered ethics pledge on pharma lawsuit proceeds after confirmation
independent.co.uk

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 25, 11 AM; 3 pieces over 6 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 25, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 25, 11 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 25, 1 PM — quietSep 25, 3 PM — quietSep 25, 5 PM — quietSep 25, 7 PM — quietSep 25, 9 PM — quietSep 25, 11 PM — quietSep 26, 1 AM — quietSep 26, 3 AM — quietSep 26, 5 AM — quietSep 26, 7 AM — quietSep 26, 9 AM — quietSep 26, 11 AM — quietSep 26, 1 PM — quietSep 26, 3 PM — quietSep 26, 5 PM — quietSep 26, 7 PM — quietSep 26, 9 PM — quietSep 26, 11 PM — quietSep 27, 1 AM — quietSep 27, 3 AM — quietSep 27, 5 AM — quietSep 27, 7 AM — quietSep 27, 9 AM — quietSep 27, 11 AM — quietSep 27, 1 PM — quietSep 27, 3 PM — quietSep 27, 5 PM — quietSep 27, 7 PM — quietSep 27, 9 PM — quietSep 27, 11 PM — quietSep 28, 1 AM — quietSep 28, 3 AM — quietSep 28, 5 AM — quietSep 28, 7 AM — quietSep 28, 9 AM — quietSep 28, 11 AM — quietSep 28, 1 PM — quietSep 28, 3 PM — quietSep 28, 5 PM — quietSep 28, 7 PM — quietSep 28, 9 PM — quietSep 28, 11 PM — quietSep 29, 1 AM — quietSep 29, 3 AM — quietSep 29, 5 AM — quietSep 29, 7 AM — quietSep 29, 9 AM — quietSep 29, 11 AM — quietSep 29, 1 PM — quietSep 29, 3 PM — quietSep 29, 5 PM — quietSep 29, 7 PM — quietSep 29, 9 PM — quietSep 29, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 1 PM — quiet 1
Sep 26Sep 27Sep 28Sep 29yesterdaynow · 3:57 PM ET
  1. 1

    Senate Democrats send letter demanding explanation for ethics pledge change

    A coalition of Senate Democrats including Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, and Angela Alsobrooks sent a letter to Kennedy on Thursday accusing him of withholding information from Congress and failing to report the change to ethics officials, questioning his compliance with federal disclosure laws.

    “Your decision to withhold this information from Congress and apparent failure to report this change to agency ethics officials is deeply alarming.”
    — Senate Democrats
    • servelan@newsie.social

      RFK Jr quietly changed ethics pledge sparking new scrutiny over financial dealings | The Independent https://www. independent.co.uk/news/world/a mericas/us-politics/rfk-jr-ethics-pledge-conduct-b3056490.html

      servelan@newsie.socialMastodon6d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    HHS reveals Kennedy reassigned rights to Wisner Baum, not his son — An August 25 communication to Senator Elizabeth Warren from HHS disclosed that Kennedy ultimately signed over the rights directly to Wisner Baum, where his son Conor Kennedy is employed, contradicting his earlier pledge to transfer them to his son.

  3. background

    Kennedy files initial ethics statement retaining contingency fees — In his original ethics filing, Kennedy was permitted to keep a 10 percent contingency fee for legal cases directed toward Wisner Baum, his former employer.

  4. background

    Kennedy commits to divestment during confirmation process — Before his confirmation vote, RFK Jr. promised to forfeit potential earnings from legal actions against pharmaceutical companies manufacturing a cervical cancer vaccine, pledging to transfer financial rights to his adult son.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets RFK Jr quietly changed his ethics pledge sparking new scrutiny over financial dealings

    first by The Independent, 6d ago · also Independent UK