A top U.S. health official has disclosed receiving millions in book advances from associates tied to a pro-administration health advocacy group, raising ethical concerns. The payments, linked to upcoming publications through a publisher with close ties to the secretary, come as he has committed to avoiding direct involvement in their promotion while in government. The arrangement involves a nonprofit organization focused on health policy, which has described its work as addressing public health through research and public engagement. Critics may question whether such financial ties could influence the secretary’s official duties.
In 2024 ethics filing, US health secretary pledged to ‘not engage in writing, editing, marketing or promotional services for any of these books during government service’Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, received $4m over the last year in book advances from allies within the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to a new report.The advances were for upcoming books by Skyhorse Publishing, a publishing house belonging to Tony Lyons, a friend of Kennedy Jr who is also president of Maha Center, a non-profit that describes itself as “tackling America’s health crisis through education, investigation, innovation and action”. Continue reading...
