President Donald Trump’s decide to guide the USA Division of Well being and Human Companies has been denounced as a “predator” in a letter from his cousin.
On Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy – a former United States ambassador and the one surviving youngster of former President John F Kennedy – issued the letter to members of the Senate, as they thought-about the candidacy of her cousin, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Her son, Jack Schlossberg, later posted a video of her on social media, studying the letter aloud.
“Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be secretary of Well being and Human Companies, a place that may put him in command of the well being of the American folks, I really feel an obligation to talk out,” she mentioned.
Kennedy proceeded to explain how she thought-about her cousin Robert to be “unqualified” for the place he’s nominated for.
However, she warned, there are “private qualities” she deemed to be of “even larger concern”.
“I’ve recognized Bobby my entire life,” she defined. “We grew up collectively. It’s no shock he retains birds of prey as pets as a result of Bobby himself is a predator.”
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy’s assertion to the US Senate on RFKJr’s nomination for HHS Secretary
This can be a studying of a letter she simply despatched to Senate Committee on Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions
I’m so happy with my brave mom, who’s lived a lifetime of dignity,… pic.twitter.com/feysNA0Wwp
— Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) January 28, 2025
She alleges that, as a younger man, Robert “inspired” members of the family “down the trail of substance abuse”, although he himself finally recovered from dependancy.
“His basement, his storage, his dorm room have been all the time the centre of the motion the place medicine have been accessible and the place he loved displaying having put child chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks,” Kennedy mentioned. “It was typically a perverse scene of despair and violence.”
Whereas Kennedy acknowledged folks can change as they get older, she maintained that Robert has continued to “lie and cheat his means by way of life”.
She warned he would proceed to “revenue and enrich himself” if appointed to President Trump’s second-term cupboard, partly by peddling “conspiratorial half-truths” in opposition to vaccinations.
“He’s all the time been charismatic, capable of appeal to others by way of the power of his persona, his willingness to take dangers and break the foundations,” she mentioned.
However, she added, “Bobby preys on the desperation of fogeys of sick youngsters, vaccinating his personal children whereas constructing a following, hypocritically discouraging different dad and mom from vaccinating theirs.”
It was an unusually direct missive for Kennedy, who served within the administration of former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
However Robert F Kennedy Jr, a former environmental lawyer, has more and more grow to be a political lightning rod, significantly for his function in peddling conspiracy theories undermining the protection and efficacy of vaccines.
In 2023, he launched a long-shot bid for the presidency, following within the footsteps of his well-known members of the family, a number of of whom served within the White Home.
His father and namesake, for instance, had been assassinated throughout his 1968 presidential bid, after serving as US legal professional basic and within the Senate. His uncle was additionally the thirty fifth president of the US, although he too was shot lifeless.
Nonetheless, shut household, together with 5 of his siblings, have spoken out in opposition to Robert F Kennedy Jr’s White Home ambitions.
In April 2024, 15 members of the Kennedy household endorsed President Joe Biden, who was a candidate on the time, in a public snub of Robert’s bid for the White Home.
When Robert finally suspended his marketing campaign and threw his help behind Trump, 5 of his siblings additionally issued a public assertion, calling the endorsement a “betrayal” of their father’s values.
However Caroline Kennedy has been much less vocal in her opposition to Robert F Kennedy Jr’s push for greater workplace.
Shortly after his victory in November’s presidential election, Trump made good on a promise to nominate Robert to his cupboard. He had beforehand pledged to let him “go wild” on issues of public well being.
One other former Obama official, David Axelrod, famous on Tuesday that it was uncommon for Caroline Kennedy to talk out.
“It’s noteworthy and important that Caroline Kennedy, who’s famously personal about household issues, felt moved to problem this searing indictment of RFK Jr’s nomination,” Axelrod wrote on social media.
However it’s unclear whether or not her letter will galvanise opposition to her cousin’s nomination.
Final week, veteran and former Fox Information host Pete Hegseth was confirmed to his function as head of the Division of Protection after going through issues about allegations of sexual misconduct and abusing alcohol on the job.
Hegseth had denied the allegations. However within the lead-up to his Senate affirmation vote, lawmakers acquired an affidavit from his sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, levying new accusations in opposition to the nominee.
She claimed Hegseth was “abusive” and made his second spouse, Samantha, involved for her security.
Hegseth was finally confirmed to Trump’s cupboard on Friday night. The Senate was break up 50-50 over whether or not to approve Hegseth’s nomination, however Vice President JD Vance solid the tie-breaking vote.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is ready to seem at his Senate affirmation listening to beginning Wednesday.
