Kerry Kennedy, the sister of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, has publicly denounced her brother’s views, calling them “deplorable” and “untruthful.” She issued a statement on July 17 saying his opinions do not reflect the non-profit organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, named after their late father.
“His statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50+-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination,” the statement read.
The row between the siblings began when the New York Post published an audio clip taped during a dinner at a restaurant in the city’s Upper East Side. In the recording, Mr. Kennedy is heard discussing bioweapons engineered to target certain ethnic groups. He said the US has developed such weapons, and China is doing the same. The Democrat added that he believes the recent pandemic may be an example of such engineering, and it’s possible it was structured to target whites and blacks but cause no harm to Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.
Jewish organizations reacted furiously and accused Kennedy of perpetuating tired antisemitic conspiracy theories. Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein, who calls Kennedy a friend, said he’d never heard “anything like this.” Klein pointed out that he too, is a vaccination skeptic, but these comments left him “worried.”
The Congressional Integrity Project, a left-wing organization, has called for Mr. Kennedy to be censored. “Kennedy embraces virtually every conspiracy theory in existence,” the group said in a recent report, before accusing the candidate of a long history of racism and antisemitism.
Robert F. Kennedy is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and is running high in the polls – in April, he polled 20%. His “favorability” was higher than Joe Biden’s in June at 49%. Some analysts suggest his popularity among Democrats may not be personal however, but a desire for any candidate that isn’t Joe Biden.
