RFK Jr. denies eating dog but not assaulting nanny
The independent presidential candidate addressed recent allegations from a Vanity Fair profile
What happened
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on a podcast Tuesday that a Vanity Fair profile raising troubling questions about his past was "a lot of garbage." But he declined to deny sexually assaulting a 23-year-old live-in babysitter in 1998, when he was 45 and married to his second wife.
Who said what
"I am not a church boy," Kennedy said on the Breaking Points podcast when asked about allegations by ex-nanny Eliza Cooney that he asked her for a massage after appearing shirtless in her room and groped her in the pantry. "I said in my announcement speech that I have so many skeletons in my closet." He said he's "not going to comment" on whether he assaulted Cooney.
But RFK Jr. did insist a photo of him preparing to eat a roasted animal carcass did not show "me eating a dog," as Vanity Fair suggested, but rather "me eating a goat in Patagonia." The magazine said he texted the image to a friend last year, telling him he would enjoy a Korean restaurant that served dog.
What next?
Kennedy, 70, is only "polling at 9.1% of the national vote," The Guardian said, but "both the Biden and Trump campaigns fear he could pull votes away from them in key states."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
Le Pen back in the dock: the trial that’s shaking FranceIn the Spotlight Appealing her four-year conviction for embezzlement, the Rassemblement National leader faces an uncertain political future, whatever the result
-
The doctors’ strikesThe Explainer Resident doctors working for NHS England are currently voting on whether to go out on strike again this year
-
Trump sues JPMorgan for $5B over ‘debanking’Speed Read Trump accused the company of closing his accounts for political reasons
-
Minnesota roiled by arrests of child, church protestersSpeed Read A 5-year-old was among those arrested
-
Migrant death in ICE custody ruled homicideSpeed Read Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died of asphyxia, the coroner said
-
ICE memo OKs forcible entry without warrantSpeed Read The secret memo was signed last May
-
DOGE shared Social Security data, DOJ saysSpeed Read The Justice Department issued what it called ‘corrections’ on the matter
-
Halligan quits US attorney role amid court pressureSpeed Read Halligan’s position had already been considered vacant by at least one judge
-
DOJ subpoenas Minnesota Democrats in legal escalationSpeed Read Several officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, were subpoenaed
-
Trump ties Greenland threat to failed Nobel Peace bidSpeed Read ‘I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,’ Trump said
