Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, sent a letter to the Senate Tuesday imploring them to reject his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, saying he is a “predator” and a recovering drug addict who is now “addicted to attention and power.”
“I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” Kennedy, the only living child of former President John F. Kennedy, wrote in the letter, which she later read on video. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.”
She sent the letter one day before RFK Jr. will begin his confirmation hearings before the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In Kennedy’s searing letter, she attacked RFK Jr. for his personal conduct and his lack of experience, saying that both should disqualify him from leading the country’s health care infrastructure. s
“He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed,” Kennedy said, accusing him of causing the deaths of 80 children in Samoa who died of Measles after he spread anti-vaccine propaganda on the island.
“These facts alone should be disqualifying, but he has personal qualities related to this job, which for me pose even greater concern,” she continued.
Kennedy also addressed RFK Jr.’s heroin addiction, saying that, while she commends him for being in recovery, he is responsible for getting other family members addicted to drugs.
“Siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness, and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life,” she said.
She also shared a disturbing story about how RFK Jr. “enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.”
This letter is not the first time Kennedy has criticized her cousin.
“I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous, but I don’t think most Americans share them.” RFK Jr. falsely believes vaccines cause autism, and doctors fear that if he is put in charge of HHS he would pose “direct threat to the safety of our patients and the public at large,” she said in November to an audience in Australia, where she served as ambassador in the Biden administration.
YouTube Video
RFK Jr.’s siblings have also been critical.
“Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story,” they wrote in a joint statement after he ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking at a Trump rally in October 2024.
It’s unclear whether RFK Jr. will be confirmed. A handful of Republicans have expressed trepidation about supporting him, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor who has criticized RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine misinformation.
Sen. Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said that RFK Jr. will need to convince her that he is not pro-abortion to get her vote. And Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, also expressed concern about his anti-vaccine record.
RFK Jr. can afford to lose just three GOP Senators’ votes to be confirmed as secretary of health and human services.
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