Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joked about his “brain worm” while speaking to attendees at the Libertarian National Convention on Friday, a comment that came after The New York Times reported earlier this month that he once claimed a parasite ate part of his brain.
The joke came as he listed examples of what he argued were violations of the Bill of Rights by the government.
“Repeatedly, they cited some pretext for suspending and volunteering – and violating our constitutional rights. There is always a reason why, right now, rights are an inconvenience we cannot bear,” Kennedy told attendees at the Washington Hilton.
“It was the Red Scare in the 1920s. [Sen.] Joe McCarthy in the 1950s. It was the civil rights protests and the Vietnam War protesters in the 1960s. It was the war on drugs in the 1970s. It was the war on terror after 2001. And more recently, it was the COVID pandemic,” he said, before joking, “Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory.”
Kennedy’s comments come a day before former President Trump addresses the crowd at the same event. He is making a long shot at taking on Trump and President Biden, although recent polls suggest he could be more of a spoiler.
Kennedy dealt with cognitive issues in 2010, later seeing doctors to address her symptoms. Earlier this month, the Times reported on a 2012 deposition in which Kennedy claimed that a doctor told him that the reason a dark spot appeared during brain scans was because a worm was inside his brain and ate part of it before he died. .
But the campaign disputed that report, telling The Hill in a statement: “Mr. Kennedy traveled extensively throughout Africa, South America and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate, and in one of these places he contracted a parasite. The problem was resolved more than 10 years ago and he is in good physical and mental health.”
“Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion given his competition,” the campaign added.
It’s the latest twist in the presidential candidate’s campaign, as comments from Kennedy and his running mate have drawn bizarre headlines. Kennedy initially launched his candidacy as a Democrat before abandoning it to run as an independent.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
