RFK Jr. faces federal probe over whale beheading, calls it politically motivated

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he is under federal investigation for allegedly removing a whale’s head with a chainsaw and transporting it across state lines in the 1990s. Speaking during a recent Trump campaign event in Glendale, Arizona over the weekend, Kennedy said he believes the probe is politically motivated.

“Right after I endorsed President Trump, I received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute saying they were investigating me for collecting a whale specimen 20 years ago,” Kennedy told a crowd at Arizona Christian University.

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The origins of the allegation trace back to a story shared by his daughter, Kick Kennedy, in a 2012 magazine interview. When the whale beheading claims resurfaced in the media last month, it prompted the Center for Biological Diversity to call on federal authorities to look into the incident. The organization raised concerns that Kennedy may have violated several environmental laws in handling and transporting the whale remains.

“It’s 15 years past the statute of limitations but they’re opening an investigation, and this is all about the weaponization of our government against political opponents of the party in power, and it’s dangerous for our democracy,” Kennedy said. “Every American, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, should be offended by it.”

Kennedy has not explicitly denied the allegations, but he did downplay the probe, dismissing it as “gossipy nonsense.” He further claimed the Biden administration’s policies pose a greater threat to whales than his actions ever could, pointing to the potential harm caused by offshore wind farms.

In a letter responding to the news he was being investigated, Kennedy said he told the National Marine Fisheries Institute that offshore wind threatens marine life, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale. He accused the agency of being complicit in the deaths of those species by allowing these projects to proceed.