Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is a hypocritical “predator” who is “addicted to attention and power,” his cousin Caroline Kennedy warned senators ahead of the activist’s confirmation hearings on Wednesday.
“I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador to Australia and Japan, said in a letter and accompanying video statement. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator."
The letter accuses Kennedy, an activist who has helped spread doubt about vaccines and other widely accepted public health measures, of being a cynic who launched a “crusade against vaccination” for money and attention despite allegedly vaccinating his own kids.
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy’s statement to the US Senate on RFKJr’s nomination for HHS Secretary
— Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) January 28, 2025
This is a reading of a letter she just sent to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
I’m so proud of my courageous mother, who’s lived a life of dignity,… pic.twitter.com/feysNA0Wwp
It also alleges that Kennedy, who has been open about his past use of drugs and recovery, lured other family members “down the path of substance abuse” and that they subsequently “suffered addiction, illness, and death while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.”
The writer Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son, affirmed her message.
“I’m so proud of my courageous mother, who’s lived a life of dignity, integrity and service,” he wrote on X.
The Independent has contacted Kennedy and a lawyer working with Kennedy on HHS-related issues for comment.
Other family members previously denounced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he ran in the 2024 election as a third-party candidate then threw his support behind Donald Trump.
Family members called the alliance “a sad ending to a sad story.”
Mr. Kennedy claimed in 2024 “many” family members support him.
Ms. Kennedy isn’t the only one expressing doubts about RFK Jr. ahead of his confirmation hearing.
On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal warned Kennedy heading to HHS would be “dangerous to public health,” calling him a “slippery” character with a “career of spreading falsehoods” and a strong financial interest in anti-vaccine lawsuits.
An advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence has also come out against Kennedy, airing an attack ad quoting Donald Trump’s past criticisms of the activist, including alleging he’s actually “a radical left Democrat” despite allying with Republicans.
In recent days, despite years of public advocacy challenging the reliability of vaccines, Kennedy has reportedly been seeking to reassure his skeptics on Capitol Hill, claiming he’s “all for” polio vaccines and won’t seek to ban vaccines. In past comments, he claimed the measles vaccine causes autism and that the polio vaccines may have killed “many, many, many, many, many more people than polio ever did.”
Health experts have warned that increased vaccine skepticism under Kennedy could lead to outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles, at a time when parents seeking to exempt their children from vaccines is already at an all-time high.
