Robert F. Kennedy holds a lot of wackadoodle opinions. But last week, the conspiracy theorist-turned-Democratic presidential candidate went too far even for him. At a fart-plagued press dinner, he was caught on video dropping his latest steaming pile of nonsense: that COVID was “ethnically targeted” to spare Jewish and Chinese people. Most of Kennedy’s bull draws public indifference, but this one spread like wild fire, to the point that his fellow Kennedys have once again had to wearily distance themselves from their kookiest relative.
I STRONGLY condemn my brother's deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting. https://t.co/9YCag7JtHm
— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) July 17, 2023
“I STRONGLY condemn my brother’s deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” wrote Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (and, as she noted, one of his sisters).
One of Kennedy’s brothers also weighed in. “Bobby’s comments are morally and factually wrong,” wrote Joe Kennedy II in a statement. “They play on antisemitic myths and stoke mistrust of the Chinese. His remarks in no way reflect the words and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.”
Joe Kennedy II’s own son, Joe Kennedy III also weighed in, tweeting, “My uncle’s comments were hurtful and wrong. I unequivocally condemn what he said.”
My uncle’s comments were hurtful and wrong. I unequivocally condemn what he said.
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) July 17, 2023
Not everyone in the Kennedy clan condemned RFK Jr.’s beliefs. Another brother, Doug, a Fox News employee, took a softer tack, saying that while he’s not familiar with the “science” behind his claims, he did feel his comments were “misinterpreted.”
“When COVID first happened, a lot of people were wondering whether there was an ethnic component to who was affected,” Doug Kennedy said. “I remember the Italians were dying at incredible rates. And people were speculating whether they were more susceptible.”
After his comments blew up, RFK Jr. said something similar, claiming he’d “never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews.” Problem is, his comments were caught on video.
The kicker? RFK Jr. is flat-out wrong, as The Washington Post points out:
Study after study after study has shown that Jewish people (most of whom are Ashkenazi) were actually disproportionately harmed by covid-19 across multiple countries. The idea that Chinese people were protected from the virus, according to Kennedy’s remarks, means either accepting the country’s obviously artificial toll as accurate or ignoring a lot about the pandemic.
It’s not the first time Kennedy’s family has had to distance themselves from his campaign. After its launch in April, Kerry Kennedy released a statement, saying, “I love my brother Bobby, but I do not share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the COVID pandemic, vaccinations, and the role of social media platforms in policing false information.”
Must be fun to be a Kennedy these days — or to be his spouse.
(Via The Daily Beast)