Kerry Kennedy Tears into Brother RFK Jr.’s ‘Deplorable’ Remarks About COVID-19 Sparing Jews and Chinese People
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“I STRONGLY condemn my brother's deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” Kerry tweeted on Monday
Kerry Kennedy again finds herself at odds with her brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this time following Bobby's remarks about how COVID-19 is targeted against certain ethnicities but spares Jewish and Chinese people.
“I STRONGLY condemn my brother's deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” Kerry, 63, wrote on Twitter Monday.
Since 1988, Kerry has spearheaded her family's advocacy organization, RFK Human Rights, carrying on the legacy of her late father, Robert F. Kennedy. As her older brother, 69, has leaned into conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines and COVID-19 — and elevated his profile after entering the 2024 presidential race — Kerry has repeatedly had to clarify that his views do not reflect the organization bearing his name.
In a full statement posted to the organization's website on Monday, Kerry added, "[Bobby's] statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50+-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination."
John Lamparski/Getty
Bobby's unfounded remarks were recently delivered at a private New York City event and captured on video by the New York Post.
“COVID-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately,” he said. “COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”
Several Jewish civil rights organizations were quick to speak out in response to his latest conspiracy push, including Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, who called Bobby's claim “deeply offensive and incredibly dangerous.”
“Every aspect of his comments reflects some of the most abhorrent antisemitic conspiracy theories throughout history and contributes to today’s dangerous rise of antisemitism,” Deutch tweeted on Saturday.
He also wrote: “Robert Kennedy Jr.’s comments also pose a threat to individuals of Chinese descent who have already faced unjust and dangerous vilification due to COVID. We must all reject such divisive rhetoric.”
The Anti-Defamation League told CNN that Bobby’s assertion “feeds into sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories about Covid-19 that we have seen evolve over the last three years.”
According to NYT, Abraham Foxman, the former national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said of Bobby's statement on Saturday, “It cannot be ignorance because he is not ignorant, so he must believe it.”
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The environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine conspiracist tweeted on Saturday that The New York Post’s story was “mistaken” and claimed “I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews.”
He continued to explain that he "accurately pointed out — during an off-the-record conversation — that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons" and linked a study published in July 2020 on the genetic susceptibility of the COVID-19 virus.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty
Bobby wrote that "the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews.”
However, the study did not state that the COVID-19 virus was targeting any one racial group. It also did not find that Chinese people are more receptive to the virus. The research did say that one receptor for the virus was not found among the Amish Ashkenazi Jewish populations, according to The New York Times.
Several scientists have also dismissed Bobby’s conclusions about the study, including Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Rasmussen explained on Twitter Saturday that “Jewish or Chinese protease consensus sequences are not a thing in biochemistry, but they are in racism and antisemitism.”
On Sunday, Bobby tweeted, “The insinuation by @nypost and others that, as as result of my quoting a peer-reviewed paper on bio-weapons, I am somehow antisemitic, is a disgusting fabrication.”
He continued: “I understand the emotional pain that these inaccurate distortions and fabrications have caused to many Jews who recall the blood libels of poison wells and the deliberate spread of disease as the pretext for genocidal programs against their ancestors.
“My father and my uncles, John F. Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy, devoted enormous political energies during their careers to supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism. I intend to spend my political career making those family causes my priority."
When Bobby entered the presidential race in April, Kerry released a statement expressing love for her brother while firmly denouncing his controversial views.
"Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights is a nonprofit organization grounded in the legacy and transformative leadership of my father," Kerry wrote at the time, explaining the goal of her organization's work. "We hold governments accountable, engage businesses to align with human rights norms and train the next generation of leaders to become human rights defenders in their own right."
Kerry continued: "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. It is also important to note that Bobby's views are not reflected in or influence the mission or work of our organization."
Bobby's youngest brother, Doug Kennedy, a correspondent for FOX News Channel, had similar sentiments. When reached by PEOPLE at the time, he noted that his brother clearly "has immense political talent."
"Everyone [in the family] loves him and recognizes his talent," Doug said. "Not everyone agrees with his positions."
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