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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Pregnancy in America
Feature Why is it getting riskier to give birth in the U.S.?
-
The potential warning sign of an auto lender’s bankruptcy
In the Spotlight Tricolor collapse an ‘extreme example’ of economy’s challenges
-
RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine crusade comes under fire
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a heated hearing as senators accused him of lying and spreading chaos
-
RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine crusade comes under fire
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a heated hearing as senators accused him of lying and spreading chaos
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery case
Speed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Speed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attempt
Speed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31
Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines