President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the United States Department of Health and Human Services has been denounced as a “predator” in a letter from his cousin.
On Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy – a former United States ambassador and the only surviving child of former President John F Kennedy – issued the letter to members of the Senate, as they considered the candidacy of her cousin, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Her son, Jack Schlossberg, later posted a video of her on social media, reading the letter aloud.
“Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out,” she said.
Kennedy proceeded to describe how she considered her cousin Robert to be “unqualified” for the position he is nominated for.
But, she warned, there are “personal qualities” she deemed to be of “even greater concern”.
“I’ve known Bobby my whole life,” she explained. “We grew up together. It’s no surprise he keeps birds of prey as pets because Bobby himself is a predator.”
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy’s statement to the US Senate on RFKJr’s nomination for HHS Secretary
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
— Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) January 28, 2025
She alleges that, as a young man, Robert “encouraged” family members “down the path of substance abuse”, though he himself eventually recovered from addiction.
“His basement, his garage, his dorm room were always the centre of the action where drugs were available and where he enjoyed showing having put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks,” Kennedy said. “It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.”
While Kennedy acknowledged people can change as they grow older, she maintained that Robert has continued to “lie and cheat his way through life”.
She warned he would continue to “profit and enrich himself” if appointed to President Trump’s second-term cabinet, in part by peddling “conspiratorial half-truths” against vaccinations.
“He’s always been charismatic, able to attract others through the strength of his personality, his willingness to take risks and break the rules,” she said.
But, she added, “Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following, hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.”
It was an unusually direct missive for Kennedy, who served in the administration of former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
But Robert F Kennedy Jr, a former environmental lawyer, has increasingly become a political lightning rod, particularly for his role in peddling conspiracy theories undermining the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
In 2023, he launched a long-shot bid for the presidency, following in the footsteps of his famous family members, several of whom served in the White House.
His father and namesake, for example, had been assassinated during his 1968 presidential bid, after serving as US attorney general and in the Senate. His uncle was also the 35th president of the US, though he too was shot dead.
However, close family, including five of his siblings, have spoken out against Robert F Kennedy Jr’s White House ambitions.
In April 2024, 15 members of the Kennedy family endorsed President Joe Biden, who was a candidate at the time, in a public snub of Robert’s bid for the White House.
When Robert eventually suspended his campaign and threw his support behind Trump, five of his siblings also issued a public statement, calling the endorsement a “betrayal” of their father’s values.
But Caroline Kennedy has been less vocal in her opposition to Robert F Kennedy Jr’s push for higher office.
Shortly after his victory in November’s presidential election, Trump made good on a promise to nominate Robert to his cabinet. He had previously pledged to let him “go wild” on matters of public health.
Another former Obama official, David Axelrod, noted on Tuesday that it was unusual for Caroline Kennedy to speak out.
“It is noteworthy and significant that Caroline Kennedy, who is famously private about family matters, felt moved to issue this searing indictment of RFK Jr’s nomination,” Axelrod wrote on social media.
But it is unclear whether her letter will galvanise opposition to her cousin’s nomination.
Last week, veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth was confirmed to his role as head of the Department of Defense after facing concerns about allegations of sexual misconduct and abusing alcohol on the job.
Hegseth had denied the allegations. But in the lead-up to his Senate confirmation vote, lawmakers received an affidavit from his sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, levying new accusations against the nominee.
She claimed Hegseth was “abusive” and made his second wife, Samantha, concerned for her safety.
Hegseth was ultimately confirmed to Trump’s cabinet on Friday evening. The Senate was split 50-50 over whether to approve Hegseth’s nomination, but Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is set to appear at his Senate confirmation hearing starting Wednesday.