Caroline Kennedy urges Senate to reject RFK Jr.

Caroline Kennedy testifies before the Senate

(Image credit: Eric Lee / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

Caroline Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador and the only living child of President John F. Kennedy, urged senators Tuesday not to confirm her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump's health secretary. In a letter she later read aloud on social media, she called her cousin a "predator" who holds hypocritical and "dangerous" medical views.

Who said what

"I have known Bobby my whole life," and "it's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator," Caroline Kennedy said. "His basement, his garage, his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he 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."

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The siblings and cousins that Robert Kennedy "encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death" while he rebounded to "misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life," she said. And he is now "addicted to attention and power," profiting off his damaging "crusade against vaccination" even as he vaccinated his own children.

Kennedy is among Trump's "most vulnerable Cabinet nominees," The Washington Post said. Caroline Kennedy's "testimonial may not sway Republicans," but "it could shore up Democrats' opposition."

What next?

Caroline Kennedy's "searing public denunciation of her cousin" was all the more "devastating" because she has "kept quiet" and avoided the spotlight for decades, The New York Times said. Her astute "timing all but ensures her concerns will be aired" in Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday and Thursday.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.