Caroline Kennedy calls RFK Jr. a “predator” in letter to senators a day before his confirmation hearings

Washington — Caroline Kennedy, the cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sent a blistering letter to senators on Tuesday — a day before his confirmation hearings — that described him as a “predator” whose actions “have cost lives.” 

In the letter to committee leaders, the former ambassador to Australia urged senators to reject his nomination as health and human services secretary, alleging that he “preys on the desperation of parents and sick children,” as well as his own family members. 

“It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator,” the two-page letter said. “His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.” 

Family members who followed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. down the path of substance abuse, Caroline Kennedy wrote, “suffered addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.” 

She also said that while her cousin has discouraged parents from vaccinating their children, he has vaccinated his own. 

“Even before he fills this job, his constant denigration of our health care system and the conspiratorial half-truths he has told about vaccines, including in connection with Samoa’s deadly 2019 measles outbreak, have cost lives,” Caroline Kennedy wrote. 

His “crusade against vaccination” serves to enrich him financially, she said. His financial disclosures showed RFK Jr. still intends to receive legal fees from Wisner Baum, a firm suing the maker of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil over its alleged failure to warn consumers about its risks.

She added that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is “addicted to attention and power.” 

Mr. Trump’s controversial pick is set to appear Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Finance, which will decide whether to advance his nomination. On Thursday, he is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces opposition from both sides of the aisle. Conservatives groups have expressed concern about his past statements in support of abortion rights, though he has reassured them that he would follow Mr. Trump’s promise to defer the issue to states. Democrats and vaccine experts have condemned him for spreading misleading claims on a range of vaccines, including the COVID-19 and polio shots. 

Alan He

contributed to this report.