RFK JR. will hold the participation in the HPV vaccine suit if it is confirmed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Choosing President Trump as the Secretary for Health, maintains his financial participation in grave court disputes against Merck in connection with the commonly used vaccine granted to teenage people, in accordance with the ethical agreement published on Wednesday and court documents. A conflict of interest may be asked by questions for legislators, because Mr. Kennedy is seeking to conduct agencies regulating the drug producer.

. Ethical document He said that Mr. Kennedy would continue to charge fees for cases in which he directed clients Wisner BaumThe legal company sucks Merck about Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against human papilloma or HPV. The vaccine is given to teenage people To prevent cervical and other cancer Later in life.

Agreement with Wisner Baum, which also includes other matters, won Kennedy, one of the most fierce critics of vaccines in the country, over $ 2.5 million in the last two years, in accordance with files submitted by federal election officials in the field of presidential and the Presidential and a contract, approved by the Government Ethics Office as part of the confirmation process. According to the former spokesman of the agency, this sum is much higher than around USD 200,000, the latest number of remuneration for the Secretary for Health and Human Services.

“I am entitled to receive 10 percent of fees granted in matters related to emergency fees that relate to the company,” said Kennedy in ethics. He wrote that he is not a lawyer in any of the cases.

The agreement claims that Kennedy may remain of interest in an emergency fee in cases where the Ethics Office of the Health and Social Welfare Department determines that it does not cover the federal government. There will be interest in cases, such as those introduced by the national compensation program regarding vaccine damage.

Mr. Kennedy transported what he considers to be corruption and conflicts of interest in the government and pharmaceutical industries. He swore to eradicate what he calls “regulatory capture” – close to bonds between industry and the government, especially drug producers and food and medicine administration.

Ethical applications explain the path of the Senate of the Health Committee and the Financial Committee to plan interrogations of confirmation for Mr. Kennedy. After releasing, Senator Michael D. Crapo, a Republican from Idaho and chairman of the financial committee, questioned Mr. Kennedy on Wednesday.

But disclosure can also complicate Mr. Kennedy’s prospects. Two influential Republicans, Senators Mitch McConnell from Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, expressed concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines. Mr. McConnell is a former republican leader; Mr. Cassidy, a doctor, is the chairman of the Health Committee.

One democratic member of the financial committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said that Kennedy’s finances showed “outrageous conflicts of interests that threatened with public health.”

“This disclosure shows that RFK Jr. He earned millions of trade in risky anti-fertile conspiracy, “she said in a statement. “Even worse, if it is confirmed, his finances will still be related to the results of the lawsuit against the slit-nave if he would have the task of regulating them as the Secretary for Health.”

Two ethics experts who reviewed the contract stated that his participation in the lawsuits seemed very problematic, because the FDA, which approves drugs and vaccines, belong to the Secretary of Health Mr. Kennedy as the Secretary of Health. Experts said that every action that Kennedy took with Merck, one of the largest drug producers in the world, could be motivated by his financial interest in a handsome settlement.

“I think that he would have to withdraw a huge amount so as not to spend money from Merck,” said Richard W. Painter, professor of law of the University of Minnesota and former chief lawyer for the ethics of the White House. “And it almost looks like forcing.”

Spokeswoman Mr. Kennedy refused to comment.

The first of many lawsuits claims that teenage people were hurt by the HPV vaccine, is dispersed in the Supreme Court in Los Angeles. Mr. Kennedy used social media to promote claims; in 2022 Published a video Recruit additional reasons. Merck said the allegations have no advantages.

Wisner Baum paid Mr. Kennedy about USD 856,000 in 2024 and $ 1.6 million a year earlier, the financial documentation was submitted to the government program. It was not clear from the provisions how many money came from Merck matters. Mr. Kennedy also collaborated with Wisner Baum on other court disputes, in these cases related to herbicide.

Agreements such as the one submitted by Mr. Kennedy and signed by the Government Ethics Office are based on criminal provisions that prevent federal officials from detecting and regulating independently against the emergence of conflicts of interest.

Wisner Baum is not the only law firm to receive customers’ referrals from Mr. Kennedy. He had a similar agreement with Morgan and Morgan, who advertises himself as “the largest American legal company for injury.”

Business He recently sued Some of the largest food producers in the country, accusing them of using a “cigarette guidance in order to fill our food environment addictive substances that are aggressively sold to children and minorities” – a language that resembles Mr. Kennedy’s assault to ultra -paste.

Mr. Kennedy does not seem to be involved in this lawsuit and said in the ethics agreement that he would terminate this referral agreement after confirmation. He also undertook that if it is confirmed, he would end the consultation agreement with his book publisher, Skyhorse Publishing and will allow their interests in many companies, including Apple, Amazon and two biotechnological companies, Crispr Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics.

The document describing the duties of Mr. Kennedy is not clear to what extent he would have to bypass matters related to Merck or Gardasil vaccine, Mr. Painter, an ethics expert.

Mr. Painter said he believes that senators should refuse to confirm Mr. Kennedy until he solves the case.

Virginia Canter, the main adviser to the Watchdog Group of Democracy of State Democracy and the former Government Lawyer of Ethics, also reviewed the ethical statement and said that Kennedy did not seem to be detached from the activities of Merck officials. Merck produces many vaccines, as well as Keytruda, a hit drug for cancer.

Mrs. Canter said that ethics guidelines include the principle of impartiality, which prompts officials to consider the appearance of bias in their actions. Given the potential profit of Mr. Kennedy: “How could he be impartial?” She asked.

Gardasil processes that Kennedy worked on say that teenage people developed a syndrome of orthostatic tachycardia, known as pots, and premature ovarian failure as side effects of vaccine.

Mr. Kennedy was a leader in organizing huge law firms in order to get involved in Gardasil’s affairs, in accordance with Reuters report. Cases also argue that early Merck vaccine studies “have been designed in a way of obscuring and hiding the identification of grave injuries, including injuries with a delayed beginning”, show court files.

Robert Josephson, Merck spokesman, noticed that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The agency says that “has not detected any fears related to safety -related pots after HPV vaccination.”

“The overwhelming collection of scientific evidence, including over 20 years of research and development, still supports the safety profiles and the effectiveness of our HPV vaccines,” said Josephson.

A study conducted in Scotland I found it Teenage people who got the HPV vaccine before 14 When 15 to 17 cases would be expected in a group.

Mr. Kennedy will probably face a lot of legislators’ questions during confirmation interrogations, including his opposition to vaccines, which include a petition about the cancellation of the approval of all shots due to the deadly phase of the pandemic.

He stood before the opposition from the enemies of abortion, who emphasize his almost all his life of belonging to the Democratic Party. Over the years, he also issued a stunning number of claims, in the fact that the polio vaccine was more fatal than the disease.

Susanne Craig reporting brought.