The Kennedys 'in Tatters' Amid Public Battle Between Caroline and RFK Jr.

Less than 24 hours before Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first confirmation hearing to become President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services on Jan. 29, his cousin Caroline Kennedy released a scathing letter filled with accusations against him.

- ALEX ROSS

In a video of her reading aloud the letter she wrote to U.S. senators, Caroline, 67, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, called RFK Jr., 71, a “predator,” asserting that he is “addicted to attention and power” and is ultimately “unqualified” to shape the nation’s health policy. She also claimed that in his youth he “encouraged others into substance abuse” and, in one of the most macabre parts of her letter, said he “enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks,” adding, “It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.”

Previously Caroline had remained quiet about her controversial cousin. “We just don’t hear from her [publicly],” says a Kennedy family insider. “I think it’s unprecedented because both she and her mother were known for just not speaking to the press, ever. The only time Jackie spoke out was the preservation of Grand Central— that’s how rarely these people speak up.” The family insider adds that Caroline has the same “never complain, never explain” attitude as her mother.