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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would keep a share of any damages from a lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Merck if he becomes Donald Trump’s top U.S. health official, ethics records show.
In an ethics agreement released Wednesday, Kennedy said he would keep his share of a potential win from a lawsuit brought by law firm Wisner Baum against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, which protects against the human papillomavirus known as HPV.
In a letter to the top ethics czar of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Wisner Baum co-counsel Kennedy said, “I am entitled to a 10 percent fee paid in contingency fee cases referred to the firm. .
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who Trump has been nominated for health secretary In November, he said he was entitled to have interests in cases where the United States was not involved or did not have a “direct and substantial interest” in the state.
The ethics records were released Wednesday as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo announced that Kennedy’s confirmation hearing will be held next Wednesday.
Kennedy, a scion of a famous Democratic political family, insisted he was taking no direct role in the Mark case and vowed not to do anything to influence the outcome if appointed as secretary of Health and Human Services.
A Los Angeles court is hearing the first of several lawsuits this week alleging injuries caused by Merck’s vaccine to young people. Kennedy first became involved in legal efforts against Gardasil in 2018.
Former Democrats, who supported Trump After his own independent run for the White House last year, he also said he would step down from his consulting role at Wisner Baum.
In separate financial records filed Wednesday with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy disclosed $11.6 million over the past two years, including $8.8 million from his work as Kennedy and Madonna’s environmental attorney. He has promised to end his role at the firm.
Wisner Baum paid Kennedy $856,559 during the same period, records show. He also held small stakes in biotech Crispr Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics, according to financial disclosures.
The revelations highlight the controversy surrounding Trump’s decision to choose a vocal vaccine skeptic and campaigner to oversee the U.S. Department of Health — its 13 departments and agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, which have enormous influence over drug regulation. In the United States
The delay of Kennedy’s congressional hearing, originally planned for this week, was taken by some in his camp as a sign that he may struggle to get approval from the key health and finance committees, whose approval he would need before a full vote. In the Senate
Some senators have questioned his record on vaccines and abortion, among other issues.
The case against Merck over Gardasil is among several high-profile anti-vaccination cases involving Kennedy. Gardasil is recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a routine jab for 11- and 12-year-olds, with 160 million administered by the end of 2022, according to official figures. Some high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical cancer.
Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Mark said: “Plaintiffs’ allegations have no merit, and we are committed to vigorously defending against these claims.”
