Exclusive | RFK Jr. shuns The Post’s questions about Olivia Nuzzi affair, glares at reporter
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, met a sharp glare from The Post during a press briefing at Ronald Reagan National Airport last Monday. The question came hot‑on the heels of accusations that the former senator has been romantically involved with the tabloid‑savvy reporter Olivia Nuzzi. Senator Kennedy, 71, and the outspoken health official stayed quiet, refusing to confirm or deny the allegations and brushing off unrelated questions about vaccines. Media reporters were subsequently ushered out of the press room, and Kennedy made a quick exit in his SUV.
The controversy began to surface when ex‑fiancé and veteran journalist Ryan Lizzas launched a narrative piece the week before Nuzzi’s book, “American Canto,” hit the shelves. Lizza posted a memo on his Telos Substack purporting that Kennedy had hired Nuzzi to draft a strategy guide during the 2024 presidential cycle. In the memo, Nuzzi allegedly compared the senator to the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa and offered advice on counter‑programming the high‑profile June 27, 2024 debate between then‑GOP candidate Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Lizza quoted the memo, saying:
> “It sucks, and it’s unfair that CNN and the major parties colluded to exclude you, but you have to deal with that reality as it is.”
Nuzzi, who was engaged to Lizza from 2022 until their split in August 2024, called the memo a “combination of fan fiction and revenge porn” in her own book. In “American Canto,” she details her reported affair with Kennedy and claims that the former senator insisted on a baby with her. She wrote:
> “You are the best candidate, and the people who already know that came to that belief because they respect you and your ideas,” she told the book. “Just as you know what’s best for the country, you know best what you should do on your campaign, and whatever you decide, you’ll be great.”
> > “I love you,” she added with heart and kissing‑lips emojis.
Kennedy has repeatedly denied a sexting relationship with Nuzzi, but has largely stayed silent on the more dramatic threads that have captured Washington journalists’ attention. His wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has publicly called the reporter a liar and expressed anger over the scandal, as The Post previously reported.
Nuzzi recently stepped down from her position as a West Coast editor at Vanity Fair amid renewed scrutiny of her alleged relationship with Kennedy. The fallout, meanwhile, has left the HHS secretary in the eye of a storm of speculation—no firm confirmation or new evidence has yet emerged to clarify the nature of the affair.
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