Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an independent candidate for president, was recently accused of sexual assault, according to a new report from Vanity Fair.
On Tuesday, Vanity Fair published a new exclusive story detailing aspects of Kennedy Jr.'s life, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, and son of former Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy Sr.
The story details incidents involving Eliza Cooney, who was hired by the Kennedys as a babysitter in 1998. Cooney moved in with Kennedy Jr. and his ex-wife, Mary Richardson shortly after being hired by the family.
Cooney told Vanity Fair that she detailed in her diary that she felt Kennedy Jr.'s hand touching her leg while attending a family meeting at their home. In another incident, she told Vanity Fair that she noticed Kennedy Jr. in her room with her diary open. Kennedy Jr. was allegedly shirtless and asked Cooney to rub lotion on his back.
"It was totally inappropriate," she told Vanity Fair.
The Vanity Fair article states that the diary incident occurred in 1998 when Kennedy was 45 years old. However, Kennedy Jr. was born in 1954, meaning that he would have been 48 in 1998. Newsweek has been unable to independently verify the reporting from Vanity Fair.
Cooney also noted that another incident in 1998 occurred when she was in the Kennedy's kitchen and RFK Jr. came up behind her and began to grope her.
"My back was to the door of the pantry, and he came up behind me," she told Vanity Fair. "I was frozen. Shocked."
According to Vanity Fair, Cooney almost publicized the allegations in 2017 following the #MeToo movement and once again after Kennedy Jr. announced he was running for office in 2023. However, she decided against bringing a civil suit and is now speaking up about the incidents.
Newsweek reached out to Kennedy Jr.'s campaign via email for comment.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden recently met on the debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia, but Kennedy Jr. was not in attendance. Instead, he answered the same questions during his own event as he did not qualify for the presidential debate hosted by CNN.
"This is something that's important for our democracy because Americans feel like the system is rigged," Kennedy said during his version of the debate, the Associated Press reported. "This is exactly the kind of merger of state and corporate power that I'm running to oppose."
In 2023, Kerry Kennedy, the sister of Kennedy Jr. issued a statement criticizing his run for office.
"The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third-party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country," the statement reads. "Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment.
However, others are calling for Kennedy to replace Biden on the ticket after Biden's lackluster performance on the debate stage with Trump. Kennedy said, "Of course I would talk to them. It would put me on the ballot with nobody trying to get me off", adding that he believes the Democratic National Committee would otherwise try to get him removed from the ballot in states across the country.
However, Kennedy would find himself at odds with Democratic voters on key issues, such as the COVID-19 vaccination. He has also given mixed statements about abortion, a key issue for Democrats.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
