Wyden Demands Transparency on Robert Kennedy’s Recreational Drug Use Following Reporter’s Tell-All Book

Wyden Demands Transparency on Robert Kennedy's Recreational Drug Use Following Reporter's Tell-All Book

Text of the Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., demanded answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on reports that he used illegal drugs recreationally.

"The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is the nation's top public health official, responsible for establishing policies that secure the health and safety of millions of Americans," Wyden emphasized to Kennedy. "Someone in this position engaging in illegal drug use demonstrates a severe lack of sound judgment that must be considered by policymakers, and further, engaging in this behavior carries with it the possibility of blackmail. The need for transparency here is clear."

Journalist Olivia Nuzzi alleged that Kennedy told her that he was actively using psychedelics and had smoked dimethyltryptamine (DMT). According to Nuzzi's ex-fiance, Nuzzi also claimed Kennedy said to her that his aides suspected he was using drugs, including ketamine.

To ensure Kennedy upholds his commitment made before the Senate Finance Committee to deliver "radical transparency," Wyden demanded answers to the following questions:

1. Have you used psychedelics generally or dimethyltryptamine (DMT) specifically, anytime between April 19, 2023, and the present?

   1. Nuzzi also wrote about another unidentified drug; you allegedly used while campaigning. Writing, "there were rumors it sometimes interfered with his ability to perform the work of campaigning for office."

      1. Did you use any drugs prohibited by federal law or misuse any controlled substance while you were running for president, and if so, what were they and are you currently using them?

2. Have you used ketamine, and if so, when was the last time you used it?

3. Have you used any recreational drugs prohibited by federal law or misused any controlled substance, including but not limited to psychedelics generally and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) specifically, ketamine, or other drugs, since being nominated as HHS Secretary?

   1. Are any staff at HHS, or in the administration broadly, aware of this use? Explain.

   2. Explain how and where you obtained the drugs.

4. Have you ever used recreational drugs prohibited by federal law or misused any controlled substance, including but not limited to psychedelics generally and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) specifically, ketamine, or other drugs, on government property or during the course of official business?

5. Have you ever been under the influence of recreational drugs prohibited by federal law or misused any controlled substance, including but not limited to psychedelics generally and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) specifically, ketamine, or other drugs, in the presence of any member of congress or any Executive Branch official up to and including the President and Vice President?

6. Are any current government employees, at HHS or otherwise, aware of your drug use? Explain.

7. Did you disclose any drug use as part of a background check in connection with your nomination or as part of the security clearance process?

8. Do you currently have, or did you ever have, a physician's prescription for any of the above referenced drugs?

The text of the letter is here.

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