David Corn's Blog, page 6

RFK Jr. Refuses to Disclose to Senate Details of Two “Misconduct” Cases He Settled

On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., responding to written questions from Senate Democrats, revealed information about his personal history that was not yet part of the public record: He had settled at least one case in which he had been accused of “misconduct or inappropriate behavior.” Kennedy also acknowledged that he had been party to at least one non-disclosure agreement.

But in that reply Kennedy provided no details about these allegations. He only offered a one-word reply when asked if he had ever been accused in such a fashion: “Yes.”

Consequently, Senate Democrats followed up with another written query to Kennedy, the anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. This was the request:

Please describe the nature of the financial settlements (including total
amounts) and non-disclosure agreements reached and what these agreements involved. Please also indicate how many of these settlements and non-disclosure agreements you have signed.

On Sunday, Kennedy submitted his response:

Twice, I have been targeted by frivolous, unfounded allegations, which I
strenuously denied at the time and continue to deny. I entered into confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements to prohibit these individuals from continuing to make these allegations.

This was not a full answer. The Senate Democrats had asked for the total amounts of the settlements, and Kennedy did not provide that information. Nor did this response indicate what “misconduct or inappropriate behavior” had been alleged.

In this reply, Kennedy stressed that he denied the allegations, whatever they had been. But how can senators assess his refutation?

During his confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), noting that “character matters,” asked Kennedy about the allegation from Eliza Cooney, who had been a babysitter for Kennedy’s family, that Kennedy had once groped her.

Murray noted that after the allegation became public in July Kennedy said he was “not a church boy… I have so many skeletons in my closet.” (He did not deny Cooney’s accusation.) Murray also pointed out that Kennedy had texted an apology to Cooney claiming he had no memory of the incident.

Kennedy shot back at Murray with a new position: “That story has been debunked.” Murray asked why then had he apologized to Cooney. Kennedy said, “I apologized to her for something else.”

But that was not how the text he sent to Cooney came across. It read, “I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings. I never intended you any harm. If I hurt you, it was inadvertent. I feel badly for doing so.”

At the hearing, Kennedy did not specify what the “something else” was for which he had apologized to Cooney.

Kennedy’s exchange with Murray might lead senators to question the validity of his denial of the accusations of inappropriate behavior that he fended off with confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements. What happened in these two cases remains a mystery.

After Kennedy initially disclosed the existence of these agreements, Senate Democrats did not raise a fuss about these accusations. With his nomination heading toward a committee vote and possibly a floor vote this upcoming week, it’s unclear whether the allegations of misconduct that Kennedy smothered will play any role in the fight over his confirmation. Kennedy’s stonewalling may well succeed.

SCOOP: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits Settlement for “Misconduct” Accusation

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has admitted to the US Senate that he has reached at least one settlement agreement in which he was accused of misconduct or inappropriate behavior.

After the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday completed its confirmation hearing for Kennedy’s appointment to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Democrats on the committee sent Kennedy a set of follow-up questions. The list included these two queries:

Yes or no, have you ever reached a settlement agreement with an individual or organization that accused you of misconduct or inappropriate behavior?

Yes or no, have you ever agreed to or been subject to a non-disclosure agreement with any individual or organization?

Kennedy answered “yes” to each question. He did not provide any further details.

During Kennedy’s second confirmation hearing, held on Thursday by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) raised the issue of personal misconduct. She referred to the allegation that Kennedy had once groped a babysitter. Kennedy denied the accusation. She then asked, “Are there any other instances where you have made sexual advances toward an individual without their consent?” Kennedy replied, “No.”

On Friday morning, Kennedy did not respond to a query from Mother Jones asking, “Will you disclose what those agreements were? What was the misconduct? Who were the individuals or organizations that accused you? Did this involve women who accused you of personal misconduct? Will you release anyone who has an NDA with you related to any of those settlements from that NDA?”

Katie Miller, who has served as a spokesperson for Kennedy, replied, “As a matter of policy, we don’t respond to Mother Jones.”

As of Friday morning, it was unclear whether the Democrats would press Kennedy to disclose more information about any such settlement or NDA.

Kash Patel Suddenly Can’t Seem to Remember His Long Record of Extremism

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, published a book that included a list of political enemies he characterized as Deep Staters. He called for the prosecution of law enforcement officials who investigated President Donald Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 election. He hailed January 6 rioters convicted of violence against police officers as “political prisoners.” On social media, he amplified a meme celebrating violence against Trump critics.

Yet when Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing, he refused to acknowledge many of the over-the-top statements he has made and actions he has taken as a fierce pro-Trump warrior. He was trying to hide the real Patel.

Of all of Donald Trump’s high-level appointments, Patel has the record most replete with remarks and actions in sync with MAGA extremism. Throughout the hearing, Democrats confronted him with examples of his far-right soldiering for Trump—social media posts, quotes from his media interviews, passages from his book—and he kept dodging the questions, claiming the comments were taken out of context or “partial,” insisting that he could not recall them, or pleading ignorance.

When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) questioned Patel, he cited a statement Patel made on Steve Bannon’s podcast: “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media…We’re going to come after you.” To this, Patel said, “That’s a partial quotation.” (The intent of Patel’s statement did not differ in the remark’s fuller form.)

Whitehouse pointed out that Patel had published in a book what has been widely characterized as an “enemies list” of 60 so-called Deep State figures who ought to be investigated and had reposted a video depicting him taking a chainsaw to Trump’s political enemies (including former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff).

As an aide held up a photo of that particular social media post, Whitehouse asked, “Is that you reposting that?” Patel replied, “Senator, I had nothing to do with the creation of that meme”—a statement did not address his amplification of the violent imagery.

When Whitehouse noted that Patel had pushed the conspiracy theory that FBI agents had instigated the January 6 riot, Patel replied, “That’s completely incorrect.” (He had.) And when the senator recounted that Patel once said judges who rule against Donald Turmp should be impeached because they are “political terrorists,” Patel just stared at him.

Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked Patel to explain his support of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and referred to a 2023 interview: “You said that Donald Trump has every right to tell the world that in 2020, 2016, and every other election in between was rigged by our government, because they were.” Patel responded, “I don’t have that statement in front of me.”

When Klobuchar noted Trump’s claims of election fraud had been rejected by numerous courts, Patel would not accept that. “I don’t have enough of the facts in front of me,” he commented.

Klobuchar queried Patel about a statement in which he had declared that after a Trump victory there would be prosecutions of Justice Department officials for rigging the 2020 presidential election. “You’re reading a partial statement so I’m unable to respond,” Patel said.

Klobuchar asked Patel to comment on his suggestion that the FBI headquarters should be shut down and “reopened as a museum of the Deep State.” Patel didn’t explain this remark. Instead, he complained he was a victim of “false accusations and gross mischaracterizations.”

Several Democrats pressed Patel on his work with the J6 Prison Choir, a group of January 6 rioters who recorded a version of the national anthem mashed up with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The song became a mainstay at Trump’s campaign rallies.

Patel told Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that he promoted the song to raise money for the families of January 6 attackers. But when Durbin asked “who sings on this recording,” Patel claimed that he didn’t know. Asked if the singers were January 6 rioters, Patel said, “I’m not aware of that.” That was a ludicrous answer.

In fact, in a May 10, 2023 post on Trump’s Truth Social platform, Patel said the song came from “political prisoners still locked in jail without trial following the January 6th protest in 2021. J6 Prison Choir consists of individuals who have been incarcerated as a result of their involvement in the January 6, 2021 protest for election integrity.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked Patel if the choir members were “political prisoners,” as Patel had described them. “I don’t know everyone in the J6 choir,” Patel answered. The senator then asked Patel about specific members of the choir, including Ryan Nichols, who was convicted of spraying police officers with pepper spray on January 6, and James McGrew, who was imprisoned for crimes that included throwing a wooden handrail at police officers on January 6 after punching others. Patel said he wasn’t familiar with them.

Blumenthal cited another choir member: Ronald Sandlin, who pleaded guilty after he was accused of shouting “you’re going to die” at police in the Capitol rotunda.”

“I don’t know who that is,” Patel said.

Throughout the hearing, Patel downplayed his association with the J6 Prison Choir members and did not acknowledge that his work promoting its song glorified these Trump supporters who had engaged in horrific violence.

Late in the hearing, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), honed in on Patel’s claim that he “didn’t have anything to do with” the creation of the J6 choir song. Schiff highlighted an interview with Bannon in which Patel, using the word “we,” claimed credit for producing the recording of the song. Patel said he had been using “the proverbial we” and maintained he had not helped arrange the recording.

Schiff then asked if Patel had bothered to vet the members of the choir to determine if any of them had engaged in violence against police officers. He replied, “I didn’t record it myself.”

Democratic senators questioned Patel about his promotion of a line of pills that supposedly would help people “detox” from Covid vaccines. “Spike the Vax, order this homerun kit to rid your body of the harms of the vax,” Patel wrote in one post, NBC News reported. Did Patel, Klobuchar inquired, perform clinical trials before claiming the pills cured vaccine side effects? “I’m not a doctor, so no,” Patel said.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked Patel if he made money from the pills. Patel said she should consult his financial records. “I don’t have those statements in front of me,” he said.

In one weird exchange, Durbin asked Patel if he was familiar with Stew Peters, a far-right and antisemitic podcaster known for false claims about Covid.

“Not off the top of my heard,” Patel said.

“You made eight separate appearances on his podcast,” Durbin responded. (This proved too much even for Peters. “Clearly Kash Patel is lying,” the host said after the hearing. “He absolutely does know who I am.”)

Antisemitic far-right broadcaster Stew Peters responds to Kash Patel claiming that he is not familiar with Peters, despite appearing on his show multiple times: "Clearly, Kash Patel is lying. He absolutely does know who I am."

— Right Wing Watch (@rightwingwatch.bsky.social) 2025-01-30T20:47:10.221Z

Again and again, Patel sidestepped his well-documented past as a Trump extremist who has advocated for vengeance against Trump’s political foes. He insisted he would be a neutral enforcer of the law if confirmed as FBI director. The statements, tweets, and quotes that he refused to acknowledge told a different story.

It Took RFK Jr. Just Six Minutes to Lie to Congress

Six minutes into his opening statement at his confirmation hearing Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lied. President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services brazenly repeated a statement that has been cited as false multiple times.

“News reports claim I am anti-vaccine…I am not,” he said in his opening statement to the Senate Finance Committee.

At that, a protester in the audience, shouted, “You lie.” She was removed from the hearing room by Capitol Hill police.

The protester was right. In July 2023, Kennedy told a podcaster, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” That same month, during an interview on Fox News with Jesse Watters, Kennedy said, “I do believe that autism comes from vaccines.” That notion has long been scientifically debunked. In 2021, he told a podcaster that people should “resist” guidelines from the Centers for Disease and Control on vaccines. He added, “I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.” And the non-profit that he led promoted an anti-vaccine campaign with the slogan, “IF YOU’RE NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER YOU AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION.”

And then there are all the anti-vax books he has written that certainly convey the impression that vaccines are dangerous.

Yet at the hearing, Kennedy tried to run from his past. He claimed that when it comes to vaccines he was merely “pro-safety” and only has asked “uncomfortable questions.” He said that vaccines play a “critical role in health care” and noted that “all my kids are vaccinated.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, was determined not to let Kennedy slip by with his Big Lie about vaccines. He cited several of Kennedy’s past remarks. Referring to Kennedy’s comment that his kids were vaccinated, Wyden noted that during a 2020 podcast interview, Kennedy said he “would do anything, pay anything, to go back in time and not vaccinate” his kids.

Kennedy tried to weasel his way out, claiming that no vaccine is safe and effective “for everyone.” But that’s obvious, given that all vaccines can have adverse reactions. He did not bother to counter the other comments that Wyden referenced. He also dodged questions about the assertion in a 2021 book he wrote that parents have been misled to believe measles is a deadly disease and that the measles vaccine is safe and necessary. When Wyden asked whether measles is deadly, Kennedy refused to provide a yes or no answer. But he told the committee that he supports the measles and polio vaccines. Wyden scoffed at this remark.

Kennedy had to call on his powers of slipperiness to duck tough questions. Asked about the petition he filed in May 2021 with the Food and Drug Administration to rescind the authorization for the Covid vaccine and to block future access to it, he said he had only been focused on the use of vaccines for six-year-old children. That was highly misleading. Kennedy’s request to the FDA claimed the vaccine’s costs outweighed the benefits for everyone, not just children.

Kennedy’s penchant for sidestepping was on continuous display through the morning. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), asked him about a bonkers comment pertaining to Covid he uttered in 2023: “Covid-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” This remark had been widely interpreted as antisemitic and suggestive that the Covid was designed as bioweapon that would spare certain people.

Kennedy responded that he had not said “deliberately targeted”—and this silly dodge provoked laughter from the crowd. He said he had been merely referring to an NIH study. Bennet did not have the time during his five-minute allotment to look this up. But that NIH study—which Kennedy did not mention when he made those remarks in 2023—did not say this virus was designed to target certain demographic groups. It only noted that “genetic factors” might play a role in how the disease affects people.

This was classic Kennedy: Cite an informative-sounding source that does not actually say what he claims it says. In this instance, he had implied that Covid was a bioweapon, as he has said about other diseases, including Lyme disease. He had no proof for this—as with many of his conspiratorial claims—but when called out at this hearing he pointed to a study that does not confirm his outlandish allegation. Kennedy’s mastery of this methodology, when applied to issues of life-and-death, makes him a potentially dangerous appointment.

When Kennedy was asked by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the committee chair, if anything in his background “might present a conflict of interest,” he said no. That was misleading. In his financial disclosure filing, Kennedy revealed that he has earned millions of dollars by referring clients to personal injury law firms suing Merck in various courts on behalf of people who received HPV vaccines—which studies show help prevent cervical cancer. Despite his nomination, he indicated he plans to keep receiving fees from those lawsuits. That means he could receive a large sum if Merck loses the cases or settles them, a prospect that Kennedy, if confirmed, could potentially influence.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Kennedy on his financial stake in these lawsuits. Would Kennedy agree, she asked, not to pocket any money from these cases when he is secretary and for four years afterward? “There is a lot of ways that you could influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits,” Warren said, noting that Kennedy as HHS secretary could impact cases by publishing anti-vaccine claims in official government reports or by sharing FDA data with lawyers bringing the suits. Kennedy did not agree to eschew money from these lawsuits. Instead, he repeatedly misconstrued Warren’s request. “You are asking me not to sue vaccine companies,” Kennedy said. That was not what she was asking.

It was clear throughout the first hours of the hearing that none of Kennedy’s falsehoods and misrepresentations mattered to the Republican members of the committee. He was not meaningfully challenged by any of them. That was not surprising, for, as Kennedy displayed thoroughly, when it comes to adhering to the truth, his record on this front is similar to that of the fellow looking to hire him.

The Madness of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The below article first appeared in David Corn’s newsletter, Our Land. The newsletter comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a month—but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

The media has failed the public on a crucial matter: the derangement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Often he is described in news reports as a vaccine skeptic, when he is far more than that. He is an extreme vaccine opponent. And he has lied about this, saying he has “never been anti-vaxx,” though he recently declared, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” He still promotes the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism. In May 2021, he petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to stop the use of all Covid vaccines. He proclaimed it “the deadliest vaccine ever made”—though these vaccines were estimated to have saved 20 million lives globally in the first year of their use. His anti-vaccine advocacy also played a role in a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 that killed scores of children, and this, too, he has lied about.

But Kennedy’s false claims about vaccines and his own stance on the issue are merely just one slice of his craziness that has not been fully conveyed to the public. For years, he has pushed a host of conspiracy theories and false propositions in such an aggressive and unhinged manner as to raise profound questions about his judgment and analytical abilities. Placing a fellow this cracked, disingenuous, and paranoid in charge of the American public health system—which Donald Trump has proposed to do by nominating him to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services—threatens national and global security. This could be the most dangerous act of Trump’s presidency. Yet Republican senators and much of the public are ho-humming this perilous appointment.

Like Trump, Kennedy for years has wielded a firehose of falsehoods across multiple fronts and has engaged in assorted misconduct and odd behavior, so much so that the individual lies and misdeeds zip by and blur into a mess that becomes tough for the media to thoroughly depict and hard for the public to absorb.

He claimed that a global elite led by the CIA had been planning for years to use a pandemic to end democracy and impose totalitarian control on the entire world. This was Alex Jones-level crazy.

During the pandemic, he not only recklessly opposed the vaccines; he also made the baseless and seemingly antisemitic comment that Covid was engineered to spare Jews and Chinese people. He compared anti-Covid public health measures to the Holocaust and claimed Dr. Anthony Fauci was orchestrating “fascism.” (Kennedy published an entire book in 2021 outlandishly attacking Fauci, asserting this public health official, over his decades-long career, had mounted “a historic coup d’état against Western democracy.” In this book, he claimed that Fauci once funded testing of an AIDS treatment on a group of foster children and many of them died because of the experiment—a scurrilous allegation that has been debunked.) Kennedy, who has no training in science or medicine, also hyped unproven treatments for Covid, including hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.

In 2022, Kennedy pushed a wild-eyed theory about the pandemic that showed how bonkers he can be. He claimed that a global elite led by the CIA had been planning for years to use a pandemic to end democracy and impose totalitarian control on the entire world. This was Alex Jones-level crazy. But Kennedy fervently insisted he had proof: the ominous-sounding Event 201. That was the name of a pandemic simulation held at a New York City hotel in October 2019, months before Covid struck. In one podcast, he said that no one had to take his word on this claim of a diabolical scheme and that you could look up Event 201 and even watch its recorded proceedings on YouTube. I did and discovered the simulation, conducted publicly by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, was a rather anodyne gathering of corporate execs, former government officials, and policy experts that did not come close to matching Kennedy’s description of it. Yet Kennedy maintained this exercise was proof of a worldwide plot to exploit a pandemic to “execute a coup d’etat against democracy.” Only an observer far removed from reality could sit through the three-and-a-half-hour-long Event 201 and reach such a loony conclusion.

While excitedly propagating this conspiracy theory, Kennedy demonstrated a methodology he has employed in other instances. He misrepresents facts. He fabricates. He sounds authoritative and offers what appears to be oodles of evidence. But he blends dollops of reality with fevered fantasies and concocts a goulash of irrational conspiracy. If he’s not a self-aware con man, he must be delusional. Whatever the case may be, he has pocketed millions of dollars—including $10 million last year—as an anti-vax champion.

On other health policy matters, he has peddled canards and shams. He falsely suggested that HIV did not cause AIDS and that this disease was attributable, in part, to the use of recreational drugs—notably, poppers—by gay men. He has frequently said that human-made chemicals in the environment could be making children gay and causing “gender confusion.” (There is no scientific evidence to back this up.) He has bolstered the baseless claim that the usage of antidepressants has led to school shootings. He has promoted the drinking of raw milk, which presents the risk of foodborne disease and the spread of avian flu, given the recent outbreak in dairy cows. He has pushed the unfounded view that fluoride in drinking water causes arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. (Major public health groups say fluoridation prevents cavities and is safe.)

Kennedy has compiled a long history of personal misconduct, conspiracy-mongering, and unrelenting lying. It may be too much for senators to vet and consider during his confirmation hearings.

Outside the public health realm, Kennedy has hawked other unfounded conspiracy theories. He once asserted, “They’re putting in 5G [high-speed broadband service] to harvest our data and control our behavior. Digital currency that will allow them to punish us from a distance and cut off our food supply.” (He also told podcaster Joe Rogan that wifi “radiation” causes cancer, “cellphone tumors,” and “opens your blood brain barrier” to toxins—of which there is no scientific proof.) Not surprisingly, he has long insisted that the CIA was part of the plot to assassinate his uncle, President John Kennedy. (He also believes Sirhan Sirhan, who was convicted of murdering his father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, did not fire the shot that killed the senator and that a second gunman was involved.)

And then there’s just a wide range of RFK Jr. weirdness and questionable (if not scandalous) behavior. This includes dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park; decapitating a dead whale and taking its head home; allegedly sexually assaulting a babysitter; keeping a sex diary of his many extramarital affairs during his second marriage; hailing his past use of heroin; reportedly sexting with a reporter (while married to his third wife); and causing concern at an environmental group he led over his puzzling distribution of tens of millions of dollars.

Kennedy, once widely praised for his work as an environmental lawyer, has compiled a long history of personal misconduct, conspiracy-mongering, and unrelenting lying. It may be too much for senators to vet and consider during his confirmation hearings. But all this and his lack of experience managing a large government department warrants extensive scrutiny, as he is slated to take over the world’s biggest public health agency. Moreover, his recent policy pronouncements ought to spark worry. He has called for pausing all drug development for four years, as well as research into infectious diseases. So no work on pharmaceuticals that might help Americans stricken with cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other illnesses? And no research or vaccine development for a bird flu strain that might mutate into a virus transmitted between humans?

A forceful and articulate public speaker who has mastered the art of appearing to be well-informed, Kennedy has repeatedly showed that he is unfettered by reality and facts and that he is an erratic and stubborn pitchman for unfounded conspiracy theories and dangerously false propositions. Putting him at the helm of the nation’s public health system creates a risk of great magnitude. Had he succeeded in blocking the Covid vaccines, millions more Americans might have died.

A clear-eyed look at his positions, actions, and assertions leads to a frightening conclusion: He is an untrustworthy and unstable person. To put it simply, he is batty. And it is absolutely nuts for him to be in charge of an agency that must rely on sound science, solid research, and prudent policy to safeguard the health and well-being of the American people. If the Senate Republicans confirm his nomination, it will be an act of abysmal recklessness and irresponsibility. Out of mindless loyalty to Trump or fear of him, they will inject a potentially deadly virus into a system meant to protect us.

The Madness of Robert F. Kennedy. Jr.

The below article first appeared in David Corn’s newsletter, Our Land. The newsletter comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a month—but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

The media has failed the public on a crucial matter: the derangement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Often he is described in news reports as a vaccine skeptic, when he is far more than that. He is an extreme vaccine opponent. And he has lied about this, saying he has “never been anti-vaxx,” though he recently declared, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” He still promotes the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism. In May 2021, he petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to stop the use of all Covid vaccines. He proclaimed it “the deadliest vaccine ever made”—though these vaccines were estimated to have saved 20 million lives globally in the first year of their use. His anti-vaccine advocacy also played a role in a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 that killed scores of children, and this, too, he has lied about.

But Kennedy’s false claims about vaccines and his own stance on the issue are merely just one slice of his craziness that has not been fully conveyed to the public. For years, he has pushed a host of conspiracy theories and false propositions in such an aggressive and unhinged manner as to raise profound questions about his judgment and analytical abilities. Placing a fellow this cracked, disingenuous, and paranoid in charge of the American public health system—which Donald Trump has proposed to do by nominating him to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services—threatens national and global security. This could be the most dangerous act of Trump’s presidency. Yet Republican senators and much of the public are ho-humming this perilous appointment.

Like Trump, Kennedy for years has wielded a firehose of falsehoods across multiple fronts and has engaged in assorted misconduct and odd behavior, so much so that the individual lies and misdeeds zip by and blur into a mess that becomes tough for the media to thoroughly depict and hard for the public to absorb.

He claimed that a global elite led by the CIA had been planning for years to use a pandemic to end democracy and impose totalitarian control on the entire world. This was Alex Jones-level crazy.

During the pandemic, he not only recklessly opposed the vaccines; he also made the baseless and seemingly antisemitic comment that Covid was engineered to spare Jews and Chinese people. He compared anti-Covid public health measures to the Holocaust and claimed Dr. Anthony Fauci was orchestrating “fascism.” (Kennedy published an entire book in 2021 outlandishly attacking Fauci, asserting this public health official, over his decades-long career, had mounted “a historic coup d’état against Western democracy.” In this book, he claimed that Fauci once funded testing of an AIDS treatment on a group of foster children and many of them died because of the experiment—a scurrilous allegation that has been debunked.) Kennedy, who has no training in science or medicine, also hyped unproven treatments for Covid, including hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.

In 2022, Kennedy pushed a wild-eyed theory about the pandemic that showed how bonkers he can be. He claimed that a global elite led by the CIA had been planning for years to use a pandemic to end democracy and impose totalitarian control on the entire world. This was Alex Jones-level crazy. But Kennedy fervently insisted he had proof: the ominous-sounding Event 201. That was the name of a pandemic simulation held at a New York City hotel in October 2019, months before Covid struck. In one podcast, he said that no one had to take his word on this claim of a diabolical scheme and that you could look up Event 201 and even watch its recorded proceedings on YouTube. I did and discovered the simulation, conducted publicly by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, was a rather anodyne gathering of corporate execs, former government officials, and policy experts that did not come close to matching Kennedy’s description of it. Yet Kennedy maintained this exercise was proof of a worldwide plot to exploit a pandemic to “execute a coup d’etat against democracy.” Only an observer far removed from reality could sit through the three-and-a-half-hour-long Event 201 and reach such a loony conclusion.

While excitedly propagating this conspiracy theory, Kennedy demonstrated a methodology he has employed in other instances. He misrepresents facts. He fabricates. He sounds authoritative and offers what appears to be oodles of evidence. But he blends dollops of reality with fevered fantasies and concocts a goulash of irrational conspiracy. If he’s not a self-aware con man, he must be delusional. Whatever the case may be, he has pocketed millions of dollars—including $10 million last year—as an anti-vax champion.

On other health policy matters, he has peddled canards and shams. He falsely suggested that HIV did not cause AIDS and that this disease was attributable, in part, to the use of recreational drugs—notably, poppers—by gay men. He has frequently said that human-made chemicals in the environment could be making children gay and causing “gender confusion.” (There is no scientific evidence to back this up.) He has bolstered the baseless claim that the usage of antidepressants has led to school shootings. He has promoted the drinking of raw milk, which presents the risk of foodborne disease and the spread of avian flu, given the recent outbreak in dairy cows. He has pushed the unfounded view that fluoride in drinking water causes arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. (Major public health groups say fluoridation prevents cavities and is safe.)

Kennedy has compiled a long history of personal misconduct, conspiracy-mongering, and unrelenting lying. It may be too much for senators to vet and consider during his confirmation hearings.

Outside the public health realm, Kennedy has hawked other unfounded conspiracy theories. He once asserted, “They’re putting in 5G [high-speed broadband service] to harvest our data and control our behavior. Digital currency that will allow them to punish us from a distance and cut off our food supply.” (He also told podcaster Joe Rogan that wifi “radiation” causes cancer, “cellphone tumors,” and “opens your blood brain barrier” to toxins—of which there is no scientific proof.) Not surprisingly, he has long insisted that the CIA was part of the plot to assassinate his uncle, President John Kennedy. (He also believes Sirhan Sirhan, who was convicted of murdering his father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, did not fire the shot that killed the senator and that a second gunman was involved.)

And then there’s just a wide range of RFK Jr. weirdness and questionable (if not scandalous) behavior. This includes dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park; decapitating a dead whale and taking its head home; allegedly sexually assaulting a babysitter; keeping a sex diary of his many extramarital affairs during his second marriage; hailing his past use of heroin; reportedly sexting with a reporter (while married to his third wife); and causing concern at an environmental group he led over his puzzling distribution of tens of millions of dollars.

Kennedy, once widely praised for his work as an environmental lawyer, has compiled a long history of personal misconduct, conspiracy-mongering, and unrelenting lying. It may be too much for senators to vet and consider during his confirmation hearings. But all this and his lack of experience managing a large government department warrants extensive scrutiny, as he is slated to take over the world’s biggest public health agency. Moreover, his recent policy pronouncements ought to spark worry. He has called for pausing all drug development for four years, as well as research into infectious diseases. So no work on pharmaceuticals that might help Americans stricken with cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other illnesses? And no research or vaccine development for a bird flu strain that might mutate into a virus transmitted between humans?

A forceful and articulate public speaker who has mastered the art of appearing to be well-informed, Kennedy has repeatedly showed that he is unfettered by reality and facts and that he is an erratic and stubborn pitchman for unfounded conspiracy theories and dangerously false propositions. Putting him at the helm of the nation’s public health system creates a risk of great magnitude. Had he succeeded in blocking the Covid vaccines, millions more Americans might have died.

A clear-eyed look at his positions, actions, and assertions leads to a frightening conclusion: He is an untrustworthy and unstable person. To put it simply, he is batty. And it is absolutely nuts for him to be in charge of an agency that must rely on sound science, solid research, and prudent policy to safeguard the health and well-being of the American people. If the Senate Republicans confirm his nomination, it will be an act of abysmal recklessness and irresponsibility. Out of mindless loyalty to Trump or fear of him, they will inject a potentially deadly virus into a system meant to protect us.

SCOOP: RFK Jr. Secretly Recorded Second Wife During Divorce and Acknowledged Being “Polygamous”

In the early 2010s, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went through a contentious divorce with his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy. It was ugly. Richardson had found a diary RFK Jr. kept that chronicled multiple extramarital affairs he had engaged in—possibly numbering in the dozens—and she was enraged and tormented by his infidelity. She was drinking and racked up two DUIs. The two fought for years over the custody of their four children. The battle ended on May 16, 2012, with her suicide by hanging at their home in Bedford, New York.

During that stretch, RFK Jr., who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, secretly recorded telephone and in-person conversations he had with Richardson, and in at least one instance he may have violated state law in doing so.

Mother Jones has obtained a cache of these audio recordings that include more than 60 conversations that occurred in 2011 and early 2012. In many of the recordings, Richardson was distraught over the end of her marriage to Kennedy. Sometimes she bitterly lashed out at him, cursing and yelling; occasionally she asked for reconciliation. Knowing he was recording, Kennedy was decidedly more circumspect than was she. He often pressed her to complete the divorce and blamed her behavior for their breakup and his affairs. In none of the recordings did Kennedy inform Richardson that she was being recorded or ask for her consent to be recorded.

“I have witnessed Bobby’s obsessive-compulsive need to not only beat but also annihilate someone he perceives as an adversary.”

In one angry conversation on June 4, 2011, Kennedy, who had married Richardson in 1994 after his first divorce, said to her, “I want to be in a monogamous relationship. I don’t want to be in a polygamous relationship. I think that’s wrong.” Richardson then asked, “But then why have you done it for 10 years?” Kennedy replied, “I did it because I was being abused at home.” (Mother Jones is not publishing the recordings because they contain allegations we have not confirmed and information about third parties that raises privacy concerns.)

Kennedy did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the recordings.

Most of the recordings were apparently made while both Kennedy and Richardson were in New York state, which is a one-party consent state when it comes to recording a conversation. That means under New York state law only one person in the conversation needs to be aware of the recording for it to be a legal act.

But in one instance, Kennedy recorded a phone conversation with Richardson when he was apparently in California, which is a two-party consent state. Under California law, a person needs the agreement of all parties to a conversation to record a private call. Violating this law is punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and a prison sentence of up to one year.

This call occurred on June 14, 2011. That week, Kennedy was in Los Angeles for the premiere of The Last Mountain, a documentary on mountaintop removal mining based partly on a 2005 book by Kennedy. During that eight-minute-long call, the two argued, as Kennedy pleaded with her to sign a custody agreement, and Richardson aired her grievances about him and asked him to avoid having their 16-year-old son, Conor, publicly photographed with actor Cheryl Hines, Kennedy’s girlfriend whom he later married. On the audio file of this call, Kennedy did not inform Richardson the conversation was being recorded.

The violation of two-party consent in California is a criminal misdemeanor, but it can also be cause for a civil lawsuit. In general, the statute of limitations in California for a criminal misdemeanor is one year. In cases in which one of the participants in a recorded conversation is in a one-party consent state and another in California, according to Conn Law, a California-based law firm specializing in privacy rights, “California courts typically favor the two-party consent law, meaning that when one party is in California, the stricter rule applies.”

Kennedy’s recordings of his conversations with Richardson were covered by a discovery request in the divorce case, according to a person familiar with the legal proceedings, but none of this material was turned over to Richardson’s attorneys.

At one point during the divorce, Richardson came to suspect that Kennedy was making secret recordings.

As part of the legal proceedings, Kennedy filed a sealed, 60-page affidavit loaded with allegations of misconduct by Richardson. It accused Richardson of violent outbursts, excessive drinking, physically abusing him, and threatening suicide in front of their children. In March 2012, months after this affidavit was filed, Richardson, with the assistance of her sisters Martha and Nan Richardson, compiled a point-by-point draft rebuttal to Kennedy’s affidavit.

This document was obtained by Mother Jones, and its authenticity was confirmed by a Richardson family member. In this draft, Richardson stated that Kennedy “has been stealthily tape recording phone conversations in my home.” She also claimed Kennedy “has left his affidavits, transcripts of surreptitiously recorded phone conversations and other documents strewn about for anyone to see.”

The draft accused Kennedy of waging a “scorched earth” campaign against Richardson, and it presented a host of allegations against Kennedy, including the claims that he was a lousy parent, that he misled her about the extent of his infidelity, that he was physically abusive with her, and that he was abusing prescription medicine. She referred to him as a “sexual deviant” and a sex addict, and the document noted she possessed text messages and photographs from Kennedy’s phone related to his affairs.

The draft document described many episodes in their troubled marriage. Richardson acknowledged some of her own faults and recalled a time when she lost her temper and hit Kennedy. But she denied many of the allegations in Kennedy’s affidavit and said she had never talked about killing herself in front of the children.

She also included many negative assessments of her estranged husband. “I have witnessed Bobby’s obsessive-compulsive need to not only beat but also annihilate someone he perceives as an adversary,” she said. She also challenged his veracity: “He is also well known for his passionate, entertaining speech making, hyperbole and total exaggeration.” She added, “He re-jiggers the facts, or makes them up, and rushes to tell as many people as he can so that is the version of reality that gets distributed in people’s minds—classic gaslighting.” She asserted that Kennedy had sold “the media the lie of his perfect family.”

Kennedy did not respond to questions about this document.

There was much anger and sadness—as well as sordid accusations—in Richardson’s draft reply to Kennedy’s affidavit. “I have carried the burden of Bobby and his family’s most intimate secrets since I was fifteen,” she wrote.

Richardson never filed in court a version of this document. Two months later, she was dead.

A Brazen Moment of Christian Nationalism at Trump’s Inauguration

There were plenty of troubling moments during the string of inauguration events for the second presidency of Donald Trump. These include the multiple times Trump lied during his inaugural address and other appearances (including when he insulted the courageous firefighters in California by claiming the LA fires were burning “without even a token of defense”), Elon Musk’s Nazi-or-Nazi-ish salute, Proud Boys marching in Washington, DC, and the presence of the tech overlords on the stage in the Capitol Rotunda sucking up to Trump. (Did you see Jeff Bezos waving at Trump?) But one of the most disturbing displays of Trumpism came at the start of his “victory rally,” held on Sunday at the Capitol One arena in downtown Washington, DC.

After tens of thousands of Trump fanatics stood on line in rain and sleet for hours and failed to gain entry—thousands of seats were reserved for Trump donors and VIPs—the event opened with a prayer from Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma, two Hollywood actors (with middling resumés) who host a Christian podcast called Girls Gone Bible. (The two, who preach sobriety and modesty, have drawn criticism for posting sexy snaps of themselves.)

It’s hardly unusual for a Trump rally to begin with a Christian invocation. But this introduction had a sharp Christian nationalism vibe. Halili shouted, “Thank you, Jesus, for today. Seriously!” Then she reworked the Lord’s Prayer to include Trump: “Your kingdom come, Lord. Your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. In America, as it is in Heaven. In the life of President Donald Trump, as it is in heaven.” This rewrite rankled some, including Jenna Ellis, the former Trump campaign attorney, who retweeted a social media post that accused Halili of butchering the classic prayer and that added, “YIKES. Welcome to North Korea.”

Reitsma then weighed in, thanking God for “choosing President Donald Trump as a vessel for your nation.” As is customary in such instances, she beseeched God to look out for Trump: “I pray that you will protect his mind and guard his heart. I pray that you will place a shield around our president, his family, and upon this nation.” She added, “That when opposition comes his way, may you provide angelic protection.” That seemed close to suggesting that God ought to intervene if critics or opponents seek to challenge Trump.

Reistma also pleaded with God to whip up a “revival in this nation” so we “get back to the heart of the matter and that is you, Jesus… May that be the very foundation of this nation.”

Halili had a similar request. “Lord,” she said, “I ask that you will unleash your power upon this nation. I pray this country be washed by your blood, your precious blood. I pray that a holy fire will rain down.” She prayed for people to “provide for the poor, care for the sick,” and she delivered an abridged version of Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was a stranger and you invited me in. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” She did not acknowledge she was speaking to a crowd of people who worship a man who vowed to enact mass deportation and to end refugee assistance programs.

The kicker came when Halili closed their invocation by returning to the notion that God ought to stand against Trump’s enemies: “So President Trump, we set the name of the Lord upon you, and we declare that no weapon formed against you will prosper. That every tongue that rises up against you in judgement will be condemned. And if God be for you, who can be against you?”

That was harsh stuff, the rhetoric of Christian nationalism and fundamentalism. Anyone who dares speak against Trump ought to be condemned by God. It’s one thing to pray for the safety and well-being of the president and to ask God to keep an eye out for the guy and grant him wisdom. It’s quite another to declare a president the extension of God and to call on the Lord to smite those who criticize the fellow.

The audience cheered.

Next up at the rally was Kid Rock, the rocker-rapper who once wrote a song with this line: “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage see. Some say that’s statutory. (But I say it’s mandatory).”

Two hours after the Girls Gone Bible gals blessed the event—and pleaded for all people to become more loving of one another—Trump appeared and delivered one of his long and rambling addresses filled with divisive language, falsehoods, and derisive attacks on his detractors and political opponents. When he was done, he and the crowd danced to “YMCA,” the gay anthem.

From Brownshirts to Billionaires: The Second Trump Inauguration

The below article first appeared in David Corn’s newsletter, Our Land. The newsletter comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a month—but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

On Monday, the three wealthiest men in the world—Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg—are scheduled to be at the Capitol as honored guests for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, seated where four years ago Christian nationalists, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, militia members, and other extremists, incited by his brazen lies about the 2020 election, violently attacked Congress to overturn American democracy and keep Trump in power. This transition—from brownshirts to billionaires—encapsulates what has gone wrong. It is a clear signal that the United States is broken.

All organisms and entities require defense systems to survive. The same is true for a democracy. Yet the US political system has elevated to its highest position the most potent threat to its existence since the traitorous rebels of the Confederacy. On January 20, 2025, the convicted felon who takes the presidential oath of office to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” will be a demagogic autocrat-wannabe who violated that oath during his first presidential term. Trump defied that vow by falsely declaring victory in 2020 before the votes were tallied, by concocting secret schemes to thwart the popular will and remain in the White House, and by initially doing nothing when his marauders assaulted the Capitol, hoping he could exploit this horrifying act of domestic terrorism as part of his plot to extend his reign.

The recently released final report of special counsel Jack Smith depicts a harrowing scene from that day:

After his speech [in the Ellipse], Mr. Trump returned to the White House and, at around 1:30 p.m., settled in the dining room off of the Oval Office. There, he watched television news coverage of events at the Capitol and reviewed Twitter on his phone. When the angry crowd advanced on the Capitol building and breached it at around 2:13 p.m., forcing the Senate to recess, several of Mr. Trump’s advisors rushed to the dining room and told him that a riot had started at the Capitol and that rioters were in the building. Over the course of the afternoon, they forcefully urged Mr. Trump to issue calming messages to his supporters. Mr. Trump resisted, repeatedly remarking that the people at the Capitol were angry because the election had been stolen.

Put aside all the skullduggery and deceit Trump engaged in to illegitimately retain the presidency: His decision to take no action as a mob stormed the Capitol to halt the congressional certification of the election was an unconscionable abandonment of his constitutional duties and a profound betrayal of the nation. When informed that his vice president, Mike Pence, who had refused Trump’s entreaties to thwart the certification, was in danger from the rioters, Trump replied, “So what?”

This may be old news. But it defines the gravity of this moment. The authoritarian-minded Trump who nearly blew up the most powerful democracy in modern history is again being handed the keys to the republic. It’s as if the American political system has a death wish. It could not neutralize this threat from within.

That’s due to several reasons, most notably, the cowardice of Trump’s fellow Republicans, who dared not confront him, and the lack of concern among tens of millions of voters (and many non-voters) regarding Trump’s previous actions and the danger he now presents. In our intensely divided nation, in which grievances and tribalism are bolstered by disinformation and the discourse distorted by social media and agenda-driven partisan media, millions of voters did not view Trump as a risk and accepted or excused his many false and absurd claims. (“They’re eating the dogs…They’re eating the cats.”)

Trump’s 2024 election effort was more a disinformation crusade than a conventional political campaign—a natural outgrowth of his peddling of the Big Lie about the prior presidential election. The falsehoods served him well and protected him from the accurate charge that he imperiled democracy. The Democrats failed to make that fundamental aspect of this election a salient issue for enough voters. The price of eggs—which was dropping—mattered more. As did, for some voters, the fearmongering about migrants and crime, as well as the race and gender of Vice President Kamala Harris. The Biden-Harris accomplishments—bipartisan legislation to boost manufacturing and infrastructure revitalization, the management of the Covid vaccination program, the lowering of inflation, a rise in employment—were no match for a politics of hatred and anger. And the warnings about Trump and democracy did not sway a majority.

So the authoritarian virus that Trump represents has reinfected the political body. This time it’s worse. He has made clear his autocratic intent, with much of it spelled out in Project 2025. There can be no mistaking that he harbors tyrannical impulses and that he desires to consolidate power so he can visit revenge upon his foes and detractors (real and imagined) and provide safe space for his robber-baron allies and grifting cronies. Despite this—or due to this—he is being legitimized by the richest and the most influential Americans.

The symbolism is thunderously loud. Instead of QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley—the spear-carrying, face-painted, bare-chested Trumpster who wore a horned fur hat when he led January 6 rioters into the Capitol and who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his participation in the assault—Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg will this time be the iconic figures at the Capitol. Their presence will shower nearly a trillion dollars’ worth of legitimacy upon Trump—a demonstration that he has triumphed over decency and the rule of law and is now fully accepted and feared by the well-heeled and the powerful, by corporate America, by the establishment. We are witnessing a melding of oligarchy and Trumpism. (In the days before the ceremony, there was a host of parties throughout Washington, DC, mounted by tech aristocrats to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.)

Trump has indeed triggered fright among business leaders. His passion for retribution—his willingness to abuse government to reward pals and injure those who cross him—has caused many a knee to bend. (Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has never contributed to a presidential inauguration, joined other tech titans in cutting Trump’s inauguration committee a $1 million check.) None of these bigshots want to end up on the wrong side of a tariff, a regulation, or a prosecution. They can see the obvious: With Congress controlled by Republicans who either fear or worship Trump, there will be few guardrails, if any. Trump aims to have the entire executive branch serve his needs and interests. And there is not much to stop him. Especially after the Supreme Court, buttressed by three appointees from his first stint as president, expanded presidential immunity to cover what otherwise would be criminal behavior.

With most Republican senators—maybe all—currently bowing before Trump regarding his appointment of unqualified loyalists and inexperienced MAGA extremists to the most important positions in government, a message has been conveyed: Trump is unfettered, federal agencies will do his bidding without a harrumph from the GOP-led Congress, and do not irk him. Moreover, as one might do with a mob boss, make sure to pay him protection money. Do not draw the ire of an emperor who demands tribute or who keeps a list of those who are naughty and those who are nice.

Accommodation—that’s what an authoritarian craves and needs. From business leaders, from the media, from influentials, and from voters. Trump’s army at the Capitol four years ago were radicals and fringe right-wingers. Now his squad comprises moguls and the Big Tech barons he and his followers once excoriated. A white flag of surrender should be flapping next to Old Glory. They are broadcasting a dangerous signal—resistance is futile—when a healthy democracy demands the opposite.

The American political system could not rid itself of Trump, and now the powerful, scared magnates who seek to protect and advance their own interests flock to his side and bolster his status and position. In doing so, they intensify the threat at hand. They make a dark day for America even darker.

Inside the RFK Jr.-Alex Jones Bromance

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set out in late 2021 to hawk a conspiracy theory-drenched book attacking Anthony Fauci for his work to limit the spread of infectious diseases, he ran into a problem. Mainstream TV networks weren’t interested, due to Kennedy’s penchant for spreading falsehoods about childhood vaccinations, Covid, and other topics.

“Nobody would put him on at that time,” a person who has worked with Kennedy said. “He wasn’t newsworthy, and this was not a subject anyone would talk about.” Thwarted, Kennedy went where his conspiracy theorizing was welcome. The longtime Democrat appeared on far-right Newsmax and One America News Network. He was also welcomed on the even more extreme Infowars, which was run by veteran conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has peddled outrageous lies, including the notion that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting that left 20 elementary school students and six educators dead was a hoax.

In a December 2, 2021, interview—conducted by Infowars host Kristi Leigh—Kennedy, in a rambling statement, seemed to liken mask mandates to policies imposed by “Hitler when he went into Romania and Czechoslovakia and Poland.” Kennedy also claimed he was working with unnamed prosecutors to ensure Fauci and others could be “brought to justice” for unspecified crimes. He complained that the New York Times bestseller list was falsely crediting actor Will Smith’s memoir with outselling his book. “That’s another indicia of censorship,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy did not appear again on the program, but this interview was part of an ongoing relationship between Jones and Kennedy. Jones has been heaping praise on Kennedy ever since, and Infowars has extensively promoted Kennedy’s book. Del Bigtree, a prominent anti-vax activist who served as a spokesman for Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign and who continues to advise him, has also appeared on Infowars, including a late-October appearance in which Jones interviewed him.

Kennedy’s far-right book tour preceded the famous scion’s well-known journey from Democrat to independent to McDonald’s-clutching MAGA loyalist. Along the way, Kennedy cozied up to prominent Trumpists, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson. In July 2021, Kennedy spoke at an event held by the Christian nationalist Reawaken America, and afterwards posed with MAGA stalwarts Michael Flynn and Roger Stone. Mother Jones obtained a picture of the meeting.

These ties may feel like old news, especially after a long parade of weird and troubling revelations about Kennedy—his brainworm, his fondness for messing with animal corpses, his supposed sexting stamina, his suggestion that vaccine foes have it worse than Anne Frank, even an allegation of sexual assault. And Kennedy’s endorsement of Donald Trump, who he once had blasted as a “terrible president,” certainly overshadowed his previous dabbling with MAGA extremists.

But Trump’s nomination of Kennedy as Health and Human Services Secretary means his associations face new scrutiny. Two separate Senate panels—the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee—are planing to hold hearings on his potential appointment. Only the Finance Committee will vote on the nomination; if successful in that committee, Kennedy would then face a vote in the full Senate. Kennedy’s willingness to affiliate with fringe figures, in particular Jones, is among among the issues Democrats plan to scrutinize, according to Senate aides. GOP senators, on the other hand, are more likely to take issue with Kennedy’s past support for abortion rights.

Though Jones was unable to personally interview Kennedy in 2021 due to a scheduling problem, the person who worked with Kennedy said the conspiracy theorist was thrilled by the booking. “At the time it was a pretty big get to Alex,” the source said. “Alex was fascinated by Kennedy.”

After Kennedy launched his presidential campaign, Jones and Inforwars regularly praised him for advancing views that Jones shared. “RFK Jr. Announces Run for President – Here’s Why This Is AWESOME,” an April 2023 Infowars headline blared. “Robert F Kennedy, Andrew Tate: ‘Alex Jones Was Right,’ They’re Turning the Freakin’ Kids Gay,” Infowars reported in June 2023. That article celebrated Kennedy’s unfounded claims that chemicals commonly found in drinking water affect children’s gender and sexual orientation, calling them consistent with arguments Jones had made. The same month, Jones bragged that Kennedy’s rhetoric was starting to resemble his own. “RFK is becoming Alex Jones,” the host said.

The Infowars store, which vigorously hawks vitamin supplements and Jones’ merch, has been selling Kennedy’s Fauci book for $29.99.

Bigtree, the Kennedy ally and staffer who has reportedly been a transition adviser, has made three appearances on Infowars since December 2020. An anti-vaccine activist who once donned a yellow star at a vaccine protest, Bigtree used these Infowars appearances to plug a nonprofit he runs, the Informed Consent Action Network—which opposes various vaccines—and to spew a torrent of bizarre and bogus claims.

In a December 2020 appearance on Infowars, Bigtree predicted that vaccine recipients would soon “drop dead in the street.” He called the Covid vaccine “one of the most dangerous experiments in world history,” and exclaimed, “The world is about to eradicate itself.” Once “stupid people” wipe themselves out” with the vaccine, he predicted, “the earth is going to be ours.” Bigtree contended that vaccinated women would not be able to become pregnant, and he urged men who did get vaccinated to first “freeze your sperm” because the shots “could mutate the genes” in semen.

In the same interview, Bigtree said that anti-Covid measures were part of an attempted “communist takeover of the world.” He added, “If you ever wondered how you would behave in Nazi Germany, now you know.”

Bigtree was back on Infowars in January 2022, again comparing Covid vaccines to the Holocaust. “We don’t want to get down the road where they’re lining us up and putting us in concentration camps,” Bigtree said. He asserted that US public health officials “need this pandemic…to be deadly so they can take away all our rights.” He continued: “Our government is lying to us. They’re poisoning us. They’re no longer working for us. They’re probably working for a global agenda that has nothing to do with us.”

In an October 29, 2024, interview on Infowars with Jones, which occurred while Bigtree was working for Kennedy, Bigtree told the conspiracy-monger that he had been informed of plans that would occur on “day one” of the new Trump administration. “There are a lot of people that will have to be replaced,” Bigtree said, seemingly referring to personnel in US health agencies. He also high-fived Jones.

Since Trump picked Kennedy for HHS secretary, Bigtree has reportedly worked to help vet and interview candidates for HHS jobs. But Kennedy and Trump’s transition team recently attempted to downplay Bigtree’s role. A Kennedy spokesperson told NBC News last month that Bigtree was never part of the transition and that his “views don’t represent Kennedy or Trump’s administration.”

Bigtree did not respond to inquiries about his involvement with the transition. The Trump transition team also did not respond to questions about Bigtree’s role or Kennedy’s links to far-right figures. Jones did not respond to an inquiry sent to his attorneys.

Far-right ties have caused some flak for Kennedy. During his presidential bid last year, his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, told an interviewer that she had instructed her husband to follow rules that include not communicating with Jones. Hines then conceded that Kennedy “doesn’t always” follow her advice.

But Kennedy’s links to extremists like Jones appear to fill an important need for him. The person who worked with Kennedy said those associations reflect a combination of ideology and opportunism. “It was not his first choice,” the person said. “He ran as a Democrat and then as an independent. He didn’t run as a Republican or a libertarian. He went where he could find a home.”