Kennedy: Posts Weren't Racist

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended himself Thursday against accusations that he traffics in racist and hateful online conspiracy theories, testifying at a House hearing on government censorship despite requests from outside groups to disinvite the Democratic presidential candidate. The Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government is amplifying GOP claims that conservatives and others are being unfairly targeted by technology companies that routinely work with the government to stem the spread of disinformation online, the AP reports. In opening remarks, Kennedy invoked his famous family's legacy in decrying the complaints of racism and antisemitism against him.

"This is an attempt to censor a censorship hearing," said Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He defended his social media posts, which have delved into race, vaccine safety, and other issues, as neither "racist or antisemitic," and he invoked the constitutional right to free speech. "The First Amendment was not written for easy speech," Kennedy said. "It was a speech that nobody likes you for." Republicans are eager to elevate Kennedy after he announced he's challenging President Biden in the Democratic primaries. GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, the panel's chairman, stood by the decision to have Kennedy testify. He portrayed what he claimed were examples of censorship, including a White House request to Twitter to remove a race-based post from Kennedy about COVID-19 vaccines.

"It's why Mr. Kennedy is running for president—to help us expose and stop what's going on," Jordan said Thursday. The Big Tech companies have adamantly denied the GOP assertions and say they enforce their rules impartially for everyone regardless of ideology or political affiliation. And researchers have not found widespread evidence that social media companies are biased against conservative news, posts, or materials, per the AP. The top Democrat on the House panel, Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, said the Republican majority was giving a platform to Kennedy and others to promote conspiracy theories and a rallying cry for "bigotry and hate," adding, "This is not the kind of free speech I know." (Kennedy recently drew flak for floating a COVID theory deemed antisemitic.)