Robert Kennedy Jr and Kerry Kennedy attend the 2015 Riverkeeper Fishermen’s Ball at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on May 20, 2015 in Recent York City.
Jamie McCarthy | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Kerry Kennedy, a sister of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., lambasted her brother in a temporary statement Monday after a report that quoted him as saying Covid-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people” and that Jewish persons are most immune.
“I strongly condemn my brother’s deplorable and untruthful remarks last week about Covid being engineered for ethnic targeting,” Kerry Kennedy said in a statement released by the non-profit group Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights where she serves as president.
“His statements don’t represent what I feel or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50+-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all types of discrimination,” she added.
On Saturday, the Recent York Post published an article that included a video that appeared to point out Kennedy speaking at a dinner in Manhattan about bioweapons and “ethnically targeted microbes” by which he claimed that “Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately.”
“Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who find themselves most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” he said, in accordance with the video published by the Post. “We do not know whether it was deliberately targeted that or not.” An awesome portion of American Jews are Ashkenazi Jews, who’re descended from Jews who lived in Central and Eastern Europe.
NBC News has not verified the video. In an announcement posted to Twitter later within the day, Kennedy defended his remarks, saying they weren’t anti-Semitic.
Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., also weighed in on Monday, tweeting that he condemns his uncle’s remarks.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been repeatedly criticized for pushing conspiracy theories, including about vaccines.
Kerry Kennedy, the 63-year-old sister of RFK Jr., also blasted her 69-year-old brother when he launched his presidential bid in April.
“I really like my brother Bobby, but I don’t share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the COVID pandemic, vaccinations, and the role of social media platforms in policing false information,” she said on the time. “Additionally it is necessary to notice that Bobby’s views should not reflected in or influence the mission or work of our organization.”
Other members of their family have also rebuked the presidential hopeful over the conspiracy theories about vaccines and misinformation he has spread for years.
