Maria Shriver Stands With Cousin Caroline Kennedy After Allegations Against RFK Jr.

Caroline Kennedy sent a letter to United States senators on January 28, urging them to reject the nomination of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Trump administration. She made her stance clear less the day before RFK Jr. had his first confirmation hearing via an open letter.

As against Caroline’s warnings, if the Senate Finance Committee approves RFK Jr.’s nomination, it will move to a full Senate vote. With Republicans holding a 53-47 majority, RFK Jr. requires more than half the votes to secure the position. However, Vice President J.D. Vance will break the tie if the Senate splits evenly.

Maria Shriver supports Caroline Kennedy’s pushback against RFK Jr.

Courage is when you do something hard, heartbreaking, and painful… and you do it anyway. Love you, Caroline. Always have, always will. #profilesincourage pic.twitter.com/CdQ4U7bXZz

— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) January 29, 2025

 

Maria Shriver showed public support for Caroline’s pushback, as she took to X with a photo of Caroline next to JFK’s Profiles in Courage. “Courage is when you do something hard, heartbreaking, and painful… and you do it anyway. Love you, Caroline,” she wrote.

Shriver called her cousin’s decision both painful and brave, acknowledging that speaking out against family, especially one as historically significant as the Kennedys, must have been difficult. She praised Caroline for doing what she believed was right and standing up for US citizens.

Caroline Kennedy made hefty accusations in her letter

Caroline accused RFK Jr. of leading family members into addiction, noting that she painted him as someone who thrives on bending the rules, exploiting others, and causing harm. She accused RFK Jr. of performing disturbing acts of animal cruelty, saying he once fed live mice and baby chickens to his pet hawks.

Caroline called her cousin out for his public stance against vaccines and accused him of vaccinating his own children while misinforming unsuspecting Americans. She also accused him of using their family’s painful history — including the assassinations of his father and uncle — to fuel his public persona for political ambition.