A number of members of the Kennedy household denounced the fanatical conspiracy idea of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who steered that the coronavirus was “ethnically focused” to spare Jews and Chinese language.
In feedback at a latest occasion in New York, a recording of which was first revealed by The New York Publish, Mr. Kennedy stated: “Covid-19 is designed to assault Caucasians and blacks. The people who find themselves most immune are the Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese language.” He added: “We do not know if it was intentional or not.”
His sister Kerry Kennedy referred to as his remarks “deplorable and deceitful” and stated they didn’t replicate the ideas of Robert F. Kennedy for human rights, the group she leads, named after their father, former Lawyer Common and presidential candidate Robert F. . Kennedy. .
His brother Joseph Kennedy II issued an analogous assertion, telling The Boston Globe, “Bobby’s feedback are morally and factually incorrect. They play on anti-Semitic myths and gasoline mistrust of the Chinese language. His remarks by no means replicate the phrases and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.”
And former Consultant Joseph Kennedy III tweeted Monday afternoon: “My uncle’s feedback had been hurtful and flawed. I unequivocally condemn what he stated.”
Mr. Kennedy dismissed criticism of his feedback on Sunday, saying in lengthy tweet publish, “Insinuations by @nypost and others that I’m an anti-Semite on account of my citing a peer-reviewed article on bioweapons is a disgusting fabrication.” (The paper he referred to didn’t help his claims.)
This was removed from the primary time that Mr. Kennedy’s relations had been compelled to retract his phrases or actions.
As soon as an environmental lawyer recognized for his work cleansing up the Hudson River, Mr. Kennedy — now a promising candidate working towards President Biden for the Democratic nomination subsequent 12 months — has develop into a number one spreader of misinformation towards vaccines. Lengthy earlier than the coronavirus pandemic, he helped popularize false claims a couple of hyperlink between childhood vaccines and autism, and since Covid vaccines grew to become obtainable, he has loudly and infrequently tried to query their well-documented security.
Final 12 months, Mr. Kennedy steered that unvaccinated Individuals would quickly be persecuted greater than Anne Frank, who was killed by the Nazis. A number of of his siblings criticized him for the remark, as did his spouse, actress Cheryl Hines, who referred to as it “reprehensible and tactless”.
He has additionally superior quite a few different conspiracy theories, together with claims that there’s a hyperlink between antidepressants and mass shootings (there is not) and that the Republicans stole the 2004 presidential election (there is not).
Regardless of selling disinformation and a few political beliefs extra tied to the Republican base than the Democratic one, Mr. Kennedy is scoring comparatively robust 10 to twenty p.c in a number of polls, nowhere close to sufficient to overhaul Mr. on Biden, however nonetheless putting numbers towards the protagonist.
