Kennedy Avoids Questions About Alleged Affair
WASHINGTON — He was having something to eat.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy faced scrutiny from the Post as he sidestepped inquiries concerning his rumored affair with troubled reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
“Ryan Rizza shared a memo he claims was written by Olivia Nuzzi for you. Is that legal?” a reporter pressed Kennedy as he left a news conference at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Monday.
The 71-year-old Kennedy, who has reportedly expressed his struggles with desire in a personal journal, chose not to respond, remaining silent despite multiple questions about the situation.
When another reporter brought up vaccines, Kennedy ignored that as well. Eventually, security directed the reporters away, and he departed in his SUV.
While Kennedy has denied engaging in a sexting relationship with Nuzzi, he has mostly refrained from discussing the various complexities related to this scandal that has captured attention within D.C. media.
Recently, Nuzzi’s former fiancé, journalist Ryan Rizza, published on Telos Substack what he says is a strategic memo Nuzzi drafted for Kennedy during the ongoing 2024 presidential race.
This supposed memo, which came from a New York Magazine journalist who profiled Kennedy, compared him to the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa and offered strategies for the contentious debate scheduled for June 27, 2024, between then-Republican candidate Donrad Trump and President Joe Biden.
“It’s unfair and unfortunate that CNN and the major political parties have colluded to leave you out, but you need to handle that reality,” Rizza purportedly wrote in the memo.
Rizza, who got engaged to Nuzzi in fall 2022 but ended the engagement in August 2024, has publicly addressed the note in light of revelations regarding their relationship.
The former Politico Playbook editor accused Nuzzi of overstepping boundaries from journalist to political operative, claiming she compromised a collaborative project by having an affair with a significant source.
“You believe that because you’re the best candidate, and those who see that respect you and your ideas,” Nuzzi allegedly wrote. “Just as you understand what’s best for your country, you know what to do with your campaign. Whatever you decide, you’ll excel.”
She signed off with affectionate emojis, saying, “I love you.”
Nuzzi disclosed her alleged affair with Kennedy in her book “American Canto,” which was released last week. She mentioned that Kennedy supposedly expressed a desire for her to have his child.
While Nuzzi acknowledges the affair, she dismisses Rizza’s claims as “a mix of fan fiction and revenge porn.”
Earlier this year, she took on the role of West Coast editor for Vanity Fair, but last week, amidst renewed focus on the unfolding scandal, Nuzzi announced her departure from the magazine.
There are reports indicating that Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, is “furious” about the matter and has labeled Nuzzi a “liar.”
