Ethics Filings Reveal RFK Jr. Received Millions in Book Advances and Expensive Gifts

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s latest financial disclosure reveals he received $4 million in book advances and costly gifts while serving in the Trump administration, raising questions among ethics experts about potential conflicts of interest and regulatory compliance.

The filing, signed by an HHS ethics official on September 17 and obtained by NPR, details payments from Skyhorse Publishing, which has issued Kennedy two separate advances of $2 million each for upcoming projects. One of these titles is reportedly called _Unsettled Science_, a phrasing that contrasts with the term “settled science” commonly used to describe established vaccine safety data. The publisher also previously compensated Kennedy with $451,000 in consulting fees during the year prior to his appointment as HHS secretary.

In addition to the publishing income, Kennedy reported receiving complimentary flights to Fiji and Greece, along with use of a vacation property in Washington, D.C. The total value of these gifts exceeded $250,000 and was provided by Gavin de Becker, a celebrity security adviser and close family friend. De Becker stated the exchanges are part of a long-standing personal relationship that predated Kennedy’s government role.

Virginia Canter, director of government accountability at the Democracy Defenders Fund, expressed concern that the timing and magnitude of these payments resembled an unauthorized supplement to the secretary’s salary. She noted that senior presidential appointees are typically prohibited from earning outside income, including payment for writing, during their tenure in office.

Law professor Kathleen Clark of Washington University in St. Louis described the situation as unusual, noting that Kennedy’s ethics agreement explicitly committed him to refraining from writing, editing, or promotional activities for his books while holding office. Despite this pledge, Kennedy posted about his 2021 book _The Real Anthony Fauci_ on social media in July, a work published by the same firm providing the new advances.

The disclosure also addressed ongoing scrutiny regarding a lawsuit against Merck over the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Kennedy reported receiving a nearly $7,000 payment from the law firm Wisner Baum, categorized as a final referral fee. During his confirmation hearings, Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Kennedy for profiting from contingency fee arrangements with clients suing vaccine manufacturers. In response, Kennedy amended his ethics agreement to assign his rights to such payments to a non-dependent adult family member.

Merck recently settled the bulk of the Gardasil litigation for approximately $50 million. While Kennedy claimed on social media that the fees reverted to the law firm, his son Conor Kennedy is an attorney at Wisner Baum. The firm declined to comment on the settlement amount or the specific nature of the referral payment.

Medical professionals have also pushed back against Kennedy’s continued advocacy. Dr. Jason Goldman, immediate past president of the American College of Physicians, stated that Kennedy’s keynote address at an anti-vaccine conference co-founded by the secretary endangers public health. The HHS department declined to answer specific questions, issuing a statement that the secretary complies with all federal ethics laws and financial disclosure requirements.