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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/23\/us\/politics\/rfk-jr-book-advances-maha.html?emc=edit_nn_20260924&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226986",
    "parsed_content": "Trump AdministrationN.I.H. GrantsGreenland DealDefense of A.I.Voting by MailApproval RatingAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTKennedy Drew $4 Million in Book Advances From Publisher Who Also Monetized MAHAA new disclosure also shows $210,000 in consulting fees paid to Cheryl Hines, the health secretary\u2019s wife, by one of several MAHA-affiliated groups capitalizing from his agenda.Listen \u00b7 9:41 min Share full articleThe advances were for two books that will be published by a company owned by a longtime friend and business associate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who also sits atop a constellation of MAHA-related entities.Credit...Ruth Fremson\/The New York TimesBy Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay StolbergSept. 23, 2026See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accepted $4 million in book advances and more than $270,000 in gifts over the past year from close allies who are working to advance his Make America Healthy Again agenda, according to his latest financial disclosure form.Ethics experts said the financial relationships may violate federal rules barring officials from profiting from their government position, and call into question the secretary\u2019s ability to remain independent and impartial.The advances were for two books that will be published by a company owned by Tony Lyons, a longtime friend and business associate of Mr. Kennedy who also sits atop a constellation of MAHA-related entities, including some that accept political contributions and corporate sponsorships from health-related companies.Cheryl Hines, Mr. Kennedy\u2019s wife, accepted $210,000 in consulting fees from MAHA Action, a nonprofit advocacy group also led by Mr. Lyons. It rallies supporters of Mr. Kennedy\u2019s priorities on weekly broadcasts and backs health-related legislation, including a federal bill to end liability protection for vaccine makers.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn an ethics filing before taking office, Mr. Kennedy pledged not to \u201cengage in any writing, editing or promotional activities\u201d associated with the books, but did not promise to forgo advances.Ethics experts said the payments related to one book called \u201cUnsettled Science\u201d raised questions since federal rules say that an official may not \u201creceive compensation from any source other than the government\u201d for writing a book related to his official duties while in office. (The other book is called \u201cA Defense of Israel.\u201d)ImageTony Lyons of Skyhorse Publishing is one of Mr. Kennedy\u2019s staunchest defenders.Credit...Jeenah Moon for The New York TimesAdditionally, the consulting fees to Ms. Hines from a group aligned with Mr. Kennedy\u2019s priorities \u201creeks of conflict of interest,\u201d and could appear to be a bribe, said Richard Painter, a White House ethics counsel under President George W. Bush.\u201cYou have a situation like this,\u201d he said, \u201cit just looks horrible.\u201dEmily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Mr. Kennedy \u201ccomplies with all applicable federal ethics laws, regulations and financial disclosure requirements.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTShe added: \u201cThe secretary works with H.H.S. career ethics officials to ensure that his financial interests, gifts, outside activities and other reportable matters are appropriately disclosed and handled consistent with those requirements.\u201dMr. Lyons, who is also a lawyer and one of Mr. Kennedy\u2019s staunchest defenders, did not respond to an email and text message seeking comment. Ms. Hines could not be reached for comment.The annual financial disclosure finalized last week also showed that Mr. Kennedy accepted $126,000 worth of lodging in a Washington, D.C., home owned by Gavin de Becker, a longtime friend who runs a security firm that specializes in protecting high-profile people.Previously, Mr. de Becker contributed to Mr. Kennedy\u2019s presidential campaign and earned money from it to provide a security detail for Mr. Kennedy.ImageMr. Kennedy has written numerous books for Skyhorse Publishing, and worked as a consultant to the company before he became health secretary.Credit...Jeenah Moon for The New York TimesMr. de Becker said that he has no business with the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services, and that the arrangement reflected their friendship.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cBobby is among my closest friends in the world for many years, and I\u2019m grateful to be able to host him anytime,\u201d Mr. de Becker said. \u201cHe has hosted my family at his homes, he\u2019s stayed at my homes, we take family vacations together every year, and did so for years before he was in his current job.\u201dThis past year, the records show that Mr. de Becker also paid for nearly $150,000 in airfares for Mr. Kennedy: $45,000 for a trip to Greece in July 2025 and nearly $97,000 for a trip to Fiji in November. The flights and book advances were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. It's a pivotal moment for American politics. Join us for 2026 and beyond. Get it sent to your inbox.Kedric Payne, a vice president and senior ethics counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, said there were exceptions to federal rules for gifts from friends. But Mr. de Becker\u2019s patronage appears to far exceed them, he said.\u201cLavish gifts to an official from major political donors don\u2019t get the same benefit of the doubt as dinner from a former classmate,\u201d Mr. Payne said. \u201cThe public deserves full transparency about the nature of these gifts and any interests the donor has before the government.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTLike Mr. Lyons, who has a child with autism, Mr. de Becker shares Mr. Kennedy\u2019s skepticism about the safety of vaccines and has a longstanding publishing relationship with Mr. Lyons.ImageMr. Kennedy with his wife, Cheryl Hines, who accepted $210,000 in consulting fees from MAHA Action.Credit...Kenny Holston\/The New York TimesMr. de Becker has written several books on security but recently began writing about vaccines. His 2025 book, \u201cForbidden Facts: Government Deceit & Suppression About Brain Damage From Childhood Vaccines,\u201d was published by Skyhorse, which is owned by Mr. Lyons. He has also written the foreword to two books about ketamine, a psychedelic drug that Mr. Kennedy has promoted as a therapy for depression.Kathleen Clark, an expert in government ethics and a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said the gifts created a clear conflict for Mr. Kennedy, who oversees an agency reviewing at least one ketamine therapy for approval.\u201cBy accepting such extravagant gifts from someone with a clearly articulated desire for a particular outcome from H.H.S. as a regulatory agency on these issues,\u201d she wrote in an email, \u201cR.F.K. Jr. has completely destroyed any possibility that the public could be confident that any action H.H.S. takes on these issues \u2014 childhood vaccines and ketamine \u2014 will be based on the public interest, rather than R.F.K. Jr.\u2019s gratitude to and association with this gift giver.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the latest financial filing, Mr. Lyons and Mr. Kennedy reached an agreement over the book advances in August 2024, the same month that Mr. Kennedy dropped his presidential bid and backed President Trump.Mr. Kennedy has written numerous books for Skyhorse Publishing, and worked as a consultant to the company before he became health secretary. In financial disclosures required for his Senate confirmation, Mr. Kennedy said he had earned $451,000 as a consultant. Ms. Hines also received a $600,000 advance from Skyhorse for her memoir, according to the disclosure.The disclosure records said that Mr. Kennedy would also be paid $10,000 for a third book called \u201cAmerica\u2019s Path Back to Moral Leadership\u201d and that two of the three books were already written.As Mr. Kennedy prepared to join the Trump administration, Mr. Lyons began to build an array of MAHA-allied entities, including the MAHA Center, which recently raised funds by selling corporate sponsorships for the MAHA Summit in Washington next week.One top sponsor at the event, where senior federal health officials are expected to speak, is the company Grail, which is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for its multi-cancer blood test. The test performed poorly in detecting cancers in two large studies. Mr. Kennedy spoke at last year\u2019s summit.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMr. Lyons also leads the MAHA Institute, which hosted monthly gatherings through much of last year where prospective donors mingled with Mr. Kennedy and other top health officials. Many had official business in front of Mr. Kennedy\u2019s department.MAHA Action supports legislation, including a bill introduced this year to end vaccine makers\u2019 protection from traditional liability cases, which are currently handled in a specialized federal tribunal. Mr. Kennedy, who has worked as a plaintiff\u2019s lawyer suing over alleged vaccine injuries, has long denounced the protection granted in a 1986 federal law.Mr. Lyons wears yet another hat as the treasurer of the MAHA PAC, also allied with Mr. Kennedy\u2019s mission, which has raised more than $3 million since January 2025. About one-third of it came from Botanic Tonics, a company founded by Jerry W. Ross, a onetime energy executive who changed his name after pleading guilty to a financial crime.The New York Times wrote about Mr. Ross\u2019s attempts to influence Mr. Kennedy and the Trump administration as he successfully sought a prohibition against 7-OH, a gas station drug that competed with his company\u2019s kratom-based drink called Feel Free. Both kratom and 7-OH have drawn widespread complaints over their potential for addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms.At a Senate hearing last year, Mr. Kennedy brushed off criticism from Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who accused the secretary of being unduly influenced by MAHA PAC donors.\u201cDo you have a single instance where the MAHA PAC has taken a position that is not consistent with my values?\u201d Mr. Kennedy said. \u201cI don\u2019t run the MAHA PAC. I have no idea who\u2019s contributing to them.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-23T18:24:50+00:00",
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    "ai_excerpt": "Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accepted $4 million in book advances and over $270,000 in gifts from allies promoting his 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda. Ethics experts raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest and violations of federal rules.",
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