US 2024 Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to the press at the State House in Concord, New Hampshire, on June 1, 2023.
Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images
The White House issued a strong condemnation of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, denouncing his “vile” and “false” claims alleging that Covid-19 was intentionally designed to spare Jews and Chinese individuals.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, stated that Kennedy’s remarks were dangerous and put fellow Americans at risk.
During a press briefing, Jean-Pierre emphasized that spreading racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories through such statements amounts to an attack on citizens and undermines unity.
Kennedy made these controversial remarks at a campaign press dinner on July 11, which were captured on video by a reporter from the New York Post.
Currently competing against President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, Kennedy suggested that Covid-19 was “ethnically targeted” to impact specific races more severely while sparing “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese” individuals.
Although Kennedy later claimed that his comments were not antisemitic, he did not retract them.
Responding to Kennedy’s remarks, Jean-Pierre distanced herself from commenting on Kennedy’s political campaign against the president and focused solely on the offensive nature of his statements.
She asserted that Kennedy’s comments perpetuate abhorrent antisemitic conspiracy theories and contribute to the rise of antisemitism in society, making it clear that the president and his administration stand firmly against such rhetoric.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, speaks at the daily press briefing at the White House on June 26, 2023, in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
Kennedy’s remarks immediately received backlash from members of Congress and even members of his own renowned political family.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, issued a statement condemning Kennedy’s use of vile antisemitic tropes and unfounded xenophobic conspiracy theories.
Kerry Kennedy, Kennedy’s sister, and former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., publicly disavowed his comments.
In a statement, Kerry Kennedy strongly criticized her brother’s remarks as deplorable and untrue, specifically addressing the notion that Covid was engineered for ethnic targeting.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy disagreed with everything Kennedy said but refused to suggest disinviting Kennedy from an upcoming House committee hearing on censorship.
McCarthy highlighted the hearing’s topic, which focuses on the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, and stated that censoring Kennedy would not be the appropriate response.
The House Judiciary’s select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government has invited Kennedy to testify at the hearing, scheduled for Thursday.
Kennedy has long promoted Covid antivaccine conspiracy theories and has gained attention from a small portion of voters on both the left and right fringes.
Initially dismissed by political strategists, recent polls consistently indicate that Kennedy enjoys double-digit support among Democratic primary voters, posing a potential threat to party unity leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
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