One day before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begins his Department of Health and Human Services confirmation hearings, his cousin Caroline Kennedy came out swinging against his nomination.
Caroline, 67, issued a scathing letter to senators on Tuesday, Jan. 28, calling her cousin, 71, a “predator,” as well as several other shocking claims against him. Caroline’s comments follow his siblings’ August 2024 statement denouncing him for promoting conspiracy theories and siding with President Donald Trump.
See below what the daughter of John F. Kennedy said of her cousin and his beliefs.
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She alleges he is “A ‘predator’ who encouraged others into substance abuse”
“It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator. He’s always been charismatic — able to attract others through the strength of his personality, his willingness to take risks and break the rules,” Caroline claimed. “I watch his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction.”
Bobby’s late brother, David Anthony died from a drug overdose in April 1984, and three drugs were found in his body fluids at the time of his death, per The New York Times. Bobby’s niece, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the only child of Courtney Kennedy Hill and Paul Hill, died of an accidental overdose on Aug. 1, 2019.
Caroline continued: “But siblings and cousins that 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.”
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He allegedly showed others “how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender”
Caroline alleged that when Robert “encouraged others into substance abuse,” he would have people in his basement, his garage and his dorm room, locations that “were always the center of the action where drugs were available.”
She claimed that her cousin “enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks,” adding, “It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.”
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Despite his opposition to vaccines, he vaccinates his children
“Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs,” Caroline alleged.
Robert has six children. He shares Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy III, 40, and Kathleen Alexandra “Kick” Kennedy, 36, with his ex-wife Emily Ruth Black. He shares Conor Kennedy, 30, Kyra Kennedy, 29, Aidan Kennedy, 26, and William “Finn” Kennedy, 23, with his ex-wife, Mary Richardson, who took her own life in 2012.
Robert has one of the loudest voices behind the modern anti-vaccine movement. He previously lobbied Congress to allow parents to opt-out of state requirements for vaccinating their children.
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He “exploits his own painful family tragedies,” including the assassinations of his father and his uncle
Towards the end of her letter, Caroline wrote that Robert “continues to grandstand off my father’s assassination, and that of his own father.”
“It’s incomprehensible to me that someone who is willing to exploit his own painful family tragedies for publicity would be put in charge of America’s life and death situations,” she said.
Caroline wrote that, unlike her cousin, she tries not to speak for her late father.
“But I am certain that he and my uncle Bobby — who gave their lives in public service to this country — and my uncle Teddy, who devoted his long senate career to the cause of improving health care, would be disgusted,” she said.
Caroline was referring to Edward “Ted” Kennedy, who served in the U.S. Senate for nearly five decades, representing Massachusetts. He died in August 2009 at 77.
