Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted un-scientific, anti-vaccine, antisemitic, Sinophobic, and conspiracy theories, spoke before cameras in a televised, public Congressional hearing Thursday and declared he is “being censored here.” He also used his platform to politicize his remarks, attacking his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden.
The nephew of the late, assassinated President John F. Kennedy and son of the former U.S. Attorney General who was assassinated while running for President, was testifying under oath as a witness in the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
Kennedy’s testimony came despite being under fire for his recorded remarks baselessly claiming the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was developed to affect Jewish and Chinese people the least and white and Black people the most. Virologists strongly disagree with his claim. Speaker Kevin McCarthy refused to rescind the invitation.
His testimony, and portions of the hearing were carried live on C-SPAN and networks such as Fox News and Newsmax, although the latter two reportedly dropped coverage after remarks damaging to the GOP were made by U.S. Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI).
At the start of the hearing, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) invoked a committee rule that would have brought Kennedy’s testimony into executive session, based on his recent COVID remarks The New York Times called “bigoted.” But in a 10-8 party line vote Republicans blocked her measure and Kennedy was allowed to proceed.
In his testimony Kennedy denied widely-reported allegations his remarks have been antisemitic and anti-Asian, allegations also made by his own sister, Kerry Kennedy.
Before Congress and under oath, as he acknowledged, RFK Jr. declared, “in my entire life and why I’m under oath, in my entire life, I have never uttered a phrase that was either racist or anti semitic.”
“I have spent my life fighting, my professional career fighting for Israel, for the protection of Israel,” Kennedy continued, making a common error that the state and government of Israel and all Jewish people are one and the same.
“I have a better record on Israel than anybody in this chamber today,” he claimed.
Kennedy also accused the Biden administration of making a $2 billion payout to Iran, which he called a “genocidal program.”
“I’m the only one who’s objected to that,” Kennedy continued. “I’ve fought more ferociously for Israel than anybody, but I am being censored here. Through this target, through through smears through misinterpretations of what I’ve said.”
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