Federal agency affirmatively verifies probe regarding RFK Jr. and deceased whale corpse.
On a Saturday gathering, Kennedy disclosed during an Arizona campaign event that he had been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency under the umbrella of NOAA, of an ongoing investigation related to an occurrence around two decades ago involving him retrieving a deceased whale specimen.
Later on Monday, an NOAA representative verified to CNN that Kennedy was indeed being investigated for this very incident.
The spokesperson, adhering to NOAA's standard protocol, declined to comment on open cases.
The subject once again made headlines after Kennedy ended his presidential bid last month, following the re-emergence of a 2012 interview with Kennedy's daughter, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, published in Town & Country Magazine. In the piece, Kick recounted her father using a chainsaw to detach the whale's head from its carcass on the Cape Cod beach and transporting the head to New York.
As the article garnered traction on social media, the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund persuaded NOAA to probe Kennedy's actions, citing potential harm to scientific research due to his conduct.
On the very same Saturday, Kennedy claimed he wrote a missive to NOAA to dispute the investigation, alleging that the organization was responsible for the demise of marine wildlife through building "massive offshore wind farms along the East Coast."
Following the controversy, the investigation into Kennedy's past actions became a significant topic in politics, with many questioning his environmental policies.In response to public pressure, the ongoing investigation into Kennedy's behavior related to the deceased whale specimen has become a prominent issue in political debates.
