Environmental groups are calling for a federal investigation into whether former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke the law when he transported a whale carcass across state lines, a story recounted by Kennedy's daughter more than a decade ago.
The Center for Biological Diversity Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement, urging the federal agency to investigate whether Kennedy broke the law.
“Under both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, it is unlawful to possess any part, whether dead or live, of an animal protected by either law,” Brett Hartle, the foundation's president, wrote in the letter, a copy of which was seen by The Daily Beast. “Continued possession of any whale skull is a serious and continuing violation of the laws.”
The bizarre story began circulating again over the weekend after Page Six spotted Kick hanging out with Ben Affleck, the same week Kick's wife, Jennifer Lopez, filed for divorce.
The Kennedys' son told the story in a magazine. Town & Country In a 2012 profile, she told the magazine how her father rushed to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to secure the whale's carcass, then transported it back to their home in Mount Kisco, New York.
“Every time we were speeding down the highway, whale juice would pour into the car window and it was the most disgusting thing on earth,” Kick told the magazine. “We all had plastic bags over our heads with holes in them and people on the highway would give us the middle finger, and it was a normal thing for us.”
The foundation cited the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which bans the possession or killing of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales and prohibits “the transportation, sale, or offering for sale of such mammals, or marine mammal products made from such mammals.”
The landmark wildlife protection bill first signed into law in 1972 includes exceptions for scientists and researchers, but not for private collectors. “When individuals scavenge wildlife carcasses and interfere with scientists' work, important research opportunities are lost,” the foundation said in the letter. “This is especially true for marine mammals, which are some of the most difficult wildlife species in the world to study.”
The group also cited the Lacey Act of 1900, which bans interstate trade in illegally obtained animals and animal products.
“Unverified anecdotes are not typically sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation, but Mr. Kennedy has admitted that he recklessly and with no regard for legal requirements took other wildlife for his own personal gain.” The group cited Kennedy's admission in early August that he picked up a dead bear cub from the side of a Westchester County road and left it in Central Park, which sparked a bit of controversy at the time.
Kennedy, who last week ended her independent presidential campaign in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump, is a former environmental lawyer who worked for the National Resources Defense Council and other environmental nonprofits. A representative for the former independent's campaign did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment.
The Biological Diversity Fund Center published a letter in April that was signed by other environmental groups calling Kennedy a “dangerous conspiracy theorist and science denier,” and NRDC's Action Fund published its own open letter in April calling on Kennedy to resign.