Whale Tale Ends: NOAA Clears Kennedy’s Two-Decade-Old Carcass Case
A federal investigation that grabbed national headlines has come to a decisive close, putting to rest questions about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s alleged involvement in a bizarre incident involving a whale carcass from twenty years ago.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday that claims about Kennedy removing a whale’s head from a beach were “unfounded.” This conclusion marks the end of an unusual investigation that mixed presidential politics with marine wildlife protection laws.
The Investigation
The case began when Kennedy revealed at an Arizona campaign stop that he had received an official letter from the National Marine Fisheries Services. The letter informed him he was under investigation for allegedly taking home a dead whale specimen approximately two decades ago.
“NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement determined the allegation to be unfounded and has closed the investigation,” a NOAA spokesperson told reporters. The agency maintained its typical discretion by not sharing additional details about their findings.
The Original Story
The investigation stemmed from a surprising source: a 2012 Town & Country Magazine interview with Kennedy’s daughter, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. In the article, she shared a memorable family story about her father supposedly using a chainsaw to remove a whale’s head from a beach carcass near their Cape Cod home. The account states that their family minivan transported the head to New York.
Political Context
The timing of this investigation’s resolution is noteworthy, coming shortly after Kennedy’s dramatic shift in the political landscape. He recently suspended his independent presidential campaign and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump, making the whale incident story’s resurfacing particularly interesting.
Environmental Groups’ Response
The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, which backs Vice President Kamala Harris, had pushed for the investigation. The environmental group worried that Kennedy’s alleged actions might have broken federal wildlife protection laws and potentially disrupted scientific research opportunities.
Current Marine Life Concerns
Kennedy’s team used the investigation’s conclusion to highlight current marine life issues. His spokesperson, Stefanie Spear, said, “I hope this frees up NOAA’s enforcement resources so that they can finally investigate the 109 Atlantic whale deaths since 2022 in proximity to offshore wind projects.”
However, NOAA has already addressed these concerns on their website, stating clearly that “there are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities.”
Looking Forward
This unusual case highlights the intersection of political figures, environmental protection, and federal regulations. While the investigation’s conclusion clears Kennedy of wrongdoing, it also draws attention to the ongoing challenges of marine life conservation and the importance of proper scientific research protocols.
The story serves as a reminder that even decades-old incidents can resurface in today’s political landscape, where social media and public interest can quickly transform old family anecdotes into matters of federal investigation.
As marine life protection continues to be a critical environmental issue, this case underscores the need for clear guidelines about handling marine mammal remains and the importance of preserving specimens for scientific research.
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