Reporter Kept Sexting With RFK After Learning He Had a Brain Worm

Barf Bag: Ethics (and jokes) aside, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a leathery, 70-year-old man containing a font of conspiracy theories and the carcass of a brain worm.

By Susan Rinkunas  |  September 20, 2024 | 4:00pm
Photos: Getty Images Politics 2024 Election
Reporter Kept Sexting With RFK After Learning He Had a Brain Worm

Welcome back to Barf Bag. 

Thursday’s news cycle was already plenty unhinged, with revelations that Mark Robinson, the North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, Holocaust denier, and transphobe, had an active presence on a porn forum from 2008 to 2012 where he called himself a “black Nazi,” fantasized about the return of slavery, described liking transgender porn, and said he enjoyed “peeping” on women.

Things took a turn Thursday night when news broke that New York magazine put its Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi on leave for having an inappropriate relationship with a reporting subject: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Yes, that fucking guy.

The independent publication Status reported that the magazine had learned of a personal relationship between Nuzzi, 31, and RFK, 70, and that she acknowledged it when confronted. The magazine said Nuzzi’s behavior was a violation of “standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.” Status reported that the relationship began after Nuzzi’s November 2023 profile of RFK. CNN confirmed the news shortly thereafter, and added that a source said the relationship was “emotional and digital in nature, not physical.” Nuzzi said in a statement sent to multiple reporters that communication with a former subject “turned personal:”

“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”

These details led many online observers to believe that the pair had been sexting. How long was this going on, you might ask? New York magazine’s editor-in-chief wrote in a note to staff on Friday that Nuzzi said the relationship began in December 2023 and continued through August.

The December to August timeline is important here given the other 2024 revelations about RFK. It was early May that we all learned he’d previously had a brain worm that ate some of his gray matter. Nuzzi knew he had a brainworm and it did not deter her! Then in early August, RFK admitted that he took the corpse of a dead bear cub, drove it around in his car for several hours, and dropped it in Central Park as a “prank.” Nuzzi’s boss wrote that the relationship “ended towards the end of August,” so not even the bear cub story halted this flirtation.

This whole thing somehow gets messier: Nuzzi was engaged when this happened. Fellow journalist Ryan Lizza of Politico proposed to Nuzzi in September 2022. (Lizza was notably fired by the New Yorker in 2017 over what it called “improper sexual conduct.” Lizza’s name also appeared on the whisper network spreadsheet known as the Shitty Media Men list.) But the New York Post reported that the pair called off the NuzzLizza nuptials in recent weeks. Gee, I wonder why?

Lizza is the co-author of the Politico Playbook newsletter and one person remarked: “The craziest thing is that Ryan Lizza’s job is to get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow and email millions of people this information.” Friday morning’s edition did not mention the scandal. Lizza later noted, “Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancée, my editors and I have agreed that I won’t be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at POLITICO.”

Previously, Nuzzi appeared to be friendly with right-wing personalties like Milo Yiannopoulos and professed deep admiration for Ann Coulter. Way back in 2013, Nuzzi was also an intern for disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner‘s New York City mayoral campaign.

And now, we must drop some more social media posts:

We can now only assume that this cycle’s October surprise will be conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer announcing she’s pregnant with Donald Trump‘s baby.

  • Lots of Republicans are suddenly pretending not to know the aforementioned embattled North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. [WRAL/Mediaite/Twitter]
  • More upsetting sex news: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) attended a drug-fueled sex party in the summer of 2017 with a 17-year-old high school junior. [NOTUS]
  • The Arizona GOP left Senate candidate Kari Lake off a new billboard. [Twitter]
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) traveled to Nebraska to beg lawmakers to help Trump win the election by changing how the state allocates its electoral votes. It currently does so by district, which means Democrats usually get one vote from the Omaha area. [NBC News]
  • Cognitive decline? Trump talked about a debate audience during a Fox News appearance, but there was no audience. [Mediaite]
  • In their latest grifting attempt, Trump’s family is launching a cryptocurrency startup. [Politico]

This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading! 

 
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