A girl who publicly accused Robert F Kennedy Jr of sexual assault when she labored for him as a babysitter mentioned she was motivated to take action when he launched a marketing campaign advert primarily based on a well-known advert for his uncle, President John F Kennedy.
“I actually was simply watching the Tremendous Bowl and noticed the advert and thought, ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me,’” Eliza Cooney advised USA In the present day.
Launched when Kennedy was working for president as an unbiased, the advert attracted criticism from members of the well-known Democratic political household. Kennedy Jr apologized – however saved the advert on-line.
9 months later, after dropping out of the presidential race and backing Donald Trump, Kennedy is Trump’s nominee for US well being secretary.
A massively controversial selection given his promotion of vaccine conspiracy theories and different disputed well being claims, Kennedy can be certainly one of quite a few Trump cupboard picks to be accused of sexual misconduct.
Cooney initially advised Vainness Truthful about how she went to work for Kennedy in 1998, when she was 23 and he was a 45-year-old environmental legal professional. Describing a collection of undesirable advances, she mentioned Kennedy finally “got here up behind her … and commenced groping her, placing his arms on her hips and sliding them up alongside her rib cage and breasts”, earlier than being interrupted by somebody strolling into the room.
When Kennedy was requested about Cooney’s allegations, he advised the BreakingPoints podcast he was “not a church boy … I’ve so many skeletons in my closet”, however refused to remark additional.
Within the USA In the present day interview revealed on Wednesday, Cooney mentioned: “I do know that there are hard-working individuals who don’t have skeletons of their closet. And I want we had been electing folks with fewer skeletons of their closet.”
In July, it was extensively reported that Kennedy despatched a textual content to Cooney after the Vainness Truthful story was revealed.
He wrote: “I learn your description of an episode through which I touched you in an undesirable method. I’ve no reminiscence of this incident however I apologize sincerely for something I ever did that made you’re feeling uncomfortable or something I did or mentioned that offended you or damage your emotions. I by no means supposed you any hurt. If I damage you, it was inadvertent. I really feel badly for doing so.”
Cooney advised USA In the present day: “I don’t know if it’s an apology should you say, ‘I don’t bear in mind.’ Within the context of all his public appearances, it appeared a bit bit – it didn’t match. It was like a throwaway.”
USA In the present day mentioned it had contacted a lawyer for a Kennedy nonprofit and Trump’s transition workforce for remark.
Maybe busy coping with allegations of sexual misconduct towards Pete Hegseth, the nominee for protection secretary, and Matt Gaetz, then the nominee for legal professional common, the Trump transition didn’t instantly reply. The subsequent day, Gaetz withdrew from consideration for a cupboard publish.
Cooney mentioned she was not talking out about Kennedy “to attempt to stall his nomination or upend the affirmation”, however was “simply doing it for the general public document”, having first advised folks of the alleged assault throughout the #MeToo motion, starting in 2017, when many ladies named their sexual abusers.
Saying that for a very long time she “brushed this off a bit bit”, seeing sexual assault as “simply the worth of doing enterprise”, Cooney added: “It’s outstanding that it’s as prevalent as it’s. And I simply marvel – have we made any progress? This is sort of a rewind.”
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