Former US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy has weighed in on her cousin Robert F Kennedy Jr’s growing role in the Trump administration, calling him a “predator” who has preyed on family and sick children. RFK Jr was recently nominated by Donald Trump to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services—the nation’s highest healthcare office.
In the letter sent to members of the US government, and then read aloud and shared on social media by Caroline’s son, Jack Schlossberg, Caroline said she felt “an obligation” to speak out about RFK Jr, whom she says “unqualified” for his proposed role in the government.
Among the details of Caroline’s were an account of RFK Jr’s (whom she calls Bobby) college dorm room, where she claims he blended mice and baby chickens to feed to his pet hawk. “I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” she continued. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.”
She continues that RFK has been buoyed by his charisma, “able to attract others through the strength of his personality, willingness to take risks and break the rules”. She accuses RFK of leading siblings and cousins “down the path of substance abuse”, who then suffered “addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life.” Caroline claims her cousin is “addicted to attention and power”.
One of RFK’s key platforms is one of anti-vaccination, which Caroline called “dangerous and wilfully misinformed”. She also added that he has “hypocritically” vaccinated his own children, while “preying” on the “desperation of parents of sick children” by discouraging them to vaccinate theirs. Caroline also points to a financial stake RFK has in a lawsuit against the HPV vaccine.
The Kennedy family has long held government positions, most notably former President John F. Kennedy (JFK), who was famously killed while in office. He was not the only member of the family to die at a young age, which has led to the rumour of a “Kennedy Curse”. Both Caroline’s father (John F. Kennedy Jr) and RFK Jr’s father (Robert F. Kennedy) died at the ages of 38 and 42, respectively.
Caroline’s letter accuses RFK Jr of using the family’s legacy to advance his career. “Bobby continues to grandstand off my father’s assassination, and that of his own father,” she wrote. “It is incomprehensible that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be in charge of American life-and-death situations.” She adds they would be “disgusted”
Meanwhile, Caroline’s letter comes amid increasing scrutiny from her son, Jack Schlossberg, a rising social media figure and political commentator, who has been lambasting his family on Instagram for days. Schlossberg, 32, gained prominence for his quirky social media presence and remarkable resemblance to his uncle, JFK Jr.
RFK is currently nominated for the Department of Health role, but the government must vote before he can be confirmed. If all Democrats oppose Kennedy’s appointment, it would only take a further three Republican votes to refuse him the office.
Who Are The Kennedy Family?
The Kennedys are a prominent American family with a long involvement in politics. Many members of the family have held prominent political offices in the United States since 1947. Their most famous member was John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States.
JFK was a Democrat, who held the office of president for two years between 1961 and 1963, before he was assassinated by gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. JFK was married to Jacqueline Bouvier, with whom he had four children, including Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. Another of their children was stillborn, while another, Patrick, died in infancy.
John F. Kennedy Jr had a prominent relationship with journalist Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy before the two were killed in a plane crash in 1999.
RFK Jr’s father is Bobby Kennedy, a United States senator and former US attorney general, who was also assassinated.
Prominent members of the Kennedy family include:
- John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, 1917-1963
- Robert F. Kennedy, former US attorney general, 1925-1968 (brother of JFK)
- Ted Kennedy, US senator, 1932-2009 (brother of JFK)
- Caroline Kennedy, born 1957 (daughter of JFK)
- John F. Kennedy Jr, 1960-1999 (son of JFK)
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr, born 1954 (son of RFK, nephew of JFK)
- Maria Shriver, born 1955 (daughter of Eunice Kennedy, niece of JFK)
- Jack Schlossberg, born 1993 (son of Caroline Kennedy, grandson of JFK)
- Patrick Schwarzenegger, born 1993 (son of Maria Shriver)
- Conor Kennedy, born 1994 (son of RFK Jr., former boyfriend of Taylor Swift)
What Is The Kennedy Curse?
The Kennedy Curse is a work of American mythology, born from untimely deaths of several prominent family members. Two members of the family were assassinated, President John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy.
A number of Kennedy family members have died in plain crashes, including JFK Jr (1999), Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (1944), and Kathleen Kennedy (1948). Other untimely and tragic deaths include that of two of RFK’s granddaughters: Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died of an accidental overdose at the age of 22, and Maeve Kennedy McKean, who drowned alongside her 8-year-old son during a canoe trip.
It’s not only early deaths that plague the Kennedy family, with the ‘curse’ also extending to infamous cases like the Chappaquiddick incident, which saw Ted Kennedy convicted of negligent driving and fleeing the scene of a car accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne.