A nephew of President John F. Kennedy, the former third-party 2024 presidential candidate rose to fame for his anti-vaccine advocacy and promotion of public health conspiracies.

Beneath the bipartisan concerns from senators about his qualifications is an array of financial conflicts of interest that could present additional hurdles for Kennedy to overcome at his confirmation hearings.

The HHS nominee will go before two Senate panels this week to answer questions from lawmakers: the Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday.

These are some of the conflicts of interest facing Kennedy based on information from his financial disclosure report and an ethics agreement published by the Office of Government Ethics.

Referral and contingency fees in lawsuits against vaccine and drugmakers

In an ethics agreement approved by the Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy will retain a 10% contingency fee with law firm Wisner Baum, so long as cases do not involve the federal government. Wisner Baum is suing pharmaceutical company Merck over its human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, which protects against cervical cancer.

Wisner Baum paid Kennedy more than $2.5 million in the past two years in referral and contingency fees, including nearly $857,000 in 2024. As HHS secretary, Kennedy would be head of an agency that regulates Merck and the broader pharmaceutical industry.

“Upon confirmation, I will retain an interest in contingency fee cases that do not involve claims against the United States and in which the United States is not a party and does not have a direct and substantial interest,” Kennedy stated on his financial disclosure.

Kennedy also stated he will not provide legal representation or advice.

Children’s Health Defense group

Kennedy resigned in December 2024 as chairman of the board and chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit anti-vaccine group that’s filed dozens of vaccine-related lawsuits in recent years. But his former position still poses a possible conflict as head of the agency with sweeping powers over vaccine approvals and recommendations.

Kennedy received $326,000 from the organization last year listed under salary/bonus. He stated in his ethics agreement that he’s not owed any additional money and will refrain “for a period of one year after my resignation” to not involve himself “personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know Children’s Health Defense is a party or represents a party, unless I am first authorized to participate.”

CHD led lawsuits during the pandemic challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the emergency authorization of the vaccine for children. The group is also supporting the Wisner Baum lawsuit against Merck, and Kennedy and CHD previously sued the Biden administration for pressuring social media companies to censor pandemic-related content deemed misinformation.

Legal work

Kennedy received nearly $482,000 last year for legal work for JW Howard Attorneys. The firm was among those that handled a case seeking to end California’s pandemic emergency brought by CHD and the Orange County Board of Education.

Kennedy stated on his financial disclosure he has not done legal work for JW Howard Attorneys since December 2023 but continues to serve “on an uncompensated, at will basis.” He stated on his ethics agreement that he was a salaried employee until December 2024. If confirmed, he plans to resign from his at will position.

“I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know a former client of mine is a party or represents a party for a period of one year after I last provided service to that client, unless I am first authorized to participate,” Kennedy stated.

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Ties to family intelligence firm

Kennedy was paid $30,000 last year in consulting fees from political intelligence firm Marwood Group. In 2022, Kennedy reported receiving $150,000 from Marwood in consulting fees.

Marwood was co-founded by Ted Kennedy Jr., Kennedy’s cousin and fellow nephew to President John F. Kennedy. Marwood settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2015 for a $375,000 fine after an investigation into possible insider-trading violations that centered on providing Wall Street clients with sensitive, nonpublic government information from healthcare agencies.