Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparks outrage with COVID-19 'ethnically targeted' to spare Jews claim

Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faced backlash after suggesting COVID-19 could be an "ethnically targeted" bioweapon to spare Jews.

Democratic presidential candidate for 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., found himself at the center of a storm of criticism after suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic might be an "ethnically targeted" bioweapon. Kennedy Jr. made these comments during a press event at a popular Upper East Side restaurant, Tony's Di Napoli, where he engaged in a Q&A session. The New York Post obtained a video of his remarks and shared it online, causing a stir among the public.

FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at an event where he announced his run for president on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, in Boston. (AP)

According to the conservative newspaper, Kennedy Jr. claimed that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon designed to disproportionately spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people. He stated, "COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The most immune people are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

However, Kennedy Jr. took to Twitter to clarify his position, asserting that the Post's story was "mistaken" and that he never suggested COVID-19 specifically spared Jews. In his tweet, he explained, "I accurately pointed out...that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons." He referenced a study published on the National Library of Medicine's website, which discussed the genetic susceptibility of COVID-19 across different populations.

Kennedy Jr.'s comments triggered an outpouring of criticism on Twitter, with Bill Kristol, the director of the nonprofit Defending Democracy Together, calling him a "conspiratorial lunatic." Despite being the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has often aligned himself with conservatives and Republicans regarding theories about COVID-19's origins. He has been a vocal opponent of pandemic restrictions and has expressed skepticism toward the COVID-19 vaccine.

In 2021, Kennedy Jr. authored a book titled "The Real Anthony Fauci," in which he accused the renowned infectious disease doctor of participating in a "historic coup d'etat against Western democracy." He also promoted unproven treatments such as ivermectin, intended for parasitic infections, as potential remedies for COVID-19.

The debate over the origins of COVID-19 continues to divide experts. While initial theories suggested a natural transmission from bats to humans at a Wuhan market, an alternative hypothesis proposing accidental leakage from a nearby lab gained traction. The United States Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have both expressed low confidence that the virus originated in a Wuhan lab, based on new intelligence. However, other agencies maintain that the virus likely spread naturally.

China has consistently denied any allegations of a lab leak and dismissed them as politically motivated. The origins of COVID-19 remain a complex and hotly debated topic, and scientists and government agencies continue to investigate to uncover the truth behind the global pandemic.