Robert F. Kennedy

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[[File:Robert_F._Kennedy_1964.jpeg|thumb|165px|Robert F. Kennedy]]
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'''Robert "Bobby" Francis Kennedy''' {{lived|1925|1968}} was a [[United States]] Senator from 1965 until his assassination in 1968.  Kennedy was one of the first of the new "American Royal Families," families that seemingly have a continuous presence in national politics.  Kennedy served as Attorney General under his brother, [[John F. Kennedy]], and [[Lyndon Baines Johnson]] after his brother's assassination. He was elected Senator from [[New York]] in 1964, despite [[Carpetbagger|being from Massachusetts]].

Generally considered a mean cuss, especially while serving as U.S. Attorney General. Kennedy cut his teeth as a counsel for [[Joe McCarthy]],<ref name=schlesinger>[https://archive.org/details/robertkenn00schl Robert Kennedy and His Times] by Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr.(1978) ''Houghton Mifflin'' ISBN 978-0-395-24897-3</ref>{{rp|101}} to whom he'd maintain his loyalty after the scandals,<ref name=schlesinger/>{{rp|106}} although he was always critical of the tactics McCarthy used.<ref>[https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/11/20/robert-f-kennedy-climbed-the-mountain-where-it-was-steepest/ Robert F. Kennedy climbed the mountain where it was steepest] ''The New York Daily News''</ref> He also served as counsel to the McClellan Committee, investigating [[Mafia]] involvement in organized labor. This led to several heated exchanges with Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, who became Kennedy's lifelong nemesis. During his brother's administration, Robert was one of the President's closest advisors. Besides continuing to attack Hoffa, Kennedy was heavily involved in the Administration's [[Civil Rights]] initiatives. Unfortunately, [[J. Edgar Hoover]] had blackmail files on approximately threeve fafillion people, the Kennedy Bros. included, thus 'motivating' RFK (ostensibly his boss) to sign off on some of the harsher decisions.<ref name="blackmail">[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/02/fbi-director-hoover-s-dirty-files-excerpt-from-ronald-kessler-s-the-secrets-of-the-fbi.html "Hoover's Secet Files", Ronald Kessler]</ref> He was also JFK's point man for Operation Mongoose, the [[CIA]] operation to assassinate [[Fidel Castro]].

Due to disillusionment with the [[Vietnam War]], Kennedy underwent an epiphany following Jack's death and became a born-again lefty (or so the legend goes). He certainly had a very hostile relationship with Lyndon Johnson, although that dated back to 1960 when Kennedy tried to convince Johnson not to accept the nomination for Jack's running mate,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160822202643/https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/26/reviews/971026.26oshinkt.html Fear and Loathing in the White House] ''The New York Times''</ref> which led to Kennedy not only leaving Johnson's cabinet, but challenging him for President in 1968.

==RFK & MLK==
Although RFK was a stern supporter of Civil Rights, even helping enforce Civil Rights that already existed during his tenure as Attorney General,<ref>[https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/the-kennedy-family/robert-f-kennedy ROBERT F. KENNEDY] JFK Library</ref> one of his most infamous actions as Attorney General involved how he treated a certain Civil Rights activist: Martin Luther King Jr.

Starting in 1962, the FBI began wiretapping King's friends due to suspected ties to the Communist Party, with this evolving into them wiretapping King specifically starting in October 1963. Although the actions were done by the FBI and not the Justice Department, Kennedy still had to sign off on these actions. Furthermore, even if Kennedy did not engage in any of the worst abuses of power done by the FBI to King, he put the actions which allowed the FBI to engage in their actions into motion.<ref>[https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-fbi-j-edgar-hoover-communism Why the FBI Saw Martin Luther King Jr. as a Communist Threat] History</ref>

== Death ==
Robert Kennedy was making a strong run for the presidency when he was shot dead in a Los Angeles hotel on June 6, 1968. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was a Christian [[Palestine|Palestinian]] national angry at Kennedy's vocal support of [[Israel]].

As with his [[John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory|brother]], there is a [[conspiracy theory]] concerning his assassination, claiming Sirhan was [[brainwashing|brainwashed]] by the CIA, and/or there were other assassins involved.<ref name="test">[http://www.maryferrell.org/wiki/index.php/Robert_Kennedy_Assassination Mary Ferrell Foundation: The Robert Kennedy Assassination]</ref> These conspiracies typically revolve around a few, not very convincing, pieces of evidence: there were a lot of CIA agents in the area; a mysterious woman in polka dot dress reportedly shouted: "We shot him" (as any professional assassin would); and (as with the JFK assassination) supposed inconsistencies in the number and trajectory of bullets fired that suggest a second gunman.<ref>{{wpa|Robert F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories}}</ref> Sirhan, who's still serving a life sentence, has tried to appeal his conviction on these grounds 15 times; unsurprisingly, they've been declined. After all, he did go to a shooting range on the day of the assassination, was arrested at the scene with a revolver, and confessed during the trial; and problems with the forensic evidence can be explained by police incompetence.<ref>[https://www.boston.com/news/history/2018/05/31/rfk-assassination-conspiracy-theory-second-shooter Bobby Kennedy’s son thinks he was killed by a second shooter. Is there anything to it?], Boston.com, May 31, 2018</ref>

==See also==
*[[John F. Kennedy]]
*[[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]]
*[[John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories]]

==References==
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[[Category:Civil rights]]
[[Category:Former United States Senators]]
[[Category:Former U.S. Cabinet Members]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:JFK assassination]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates]]

Categories: Civil rights, Former United States Senators, Former U.S. Cabinet Members, Catholics, Lawyers, Liberals, JFK assassination, New York, United States politicians, United States presidential candidates