RFK Jr. says he flew on Jeffrey Epstein's jet twice, went 'fossil hunting' with him in South Dakota 'My wife had a relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell'

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday night that he'd flown twice on pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's private jet and that his ex-wife was friendly with his infamous madam Ghislaine Maxwell.

Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaxxer, first announced a White House run in April - saying then that he planned to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. In September, he announced plans to run as an independent instead.

Speaking to Jesse Watters on Tuesday, he admitted his allegedly brief connections to Epstein, a pedophile with extraordinary power and influence that has connected him to politicians in both parties, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

Watters was discussing testimony that day in Washington from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who took questions about Epstein and segued into asking Kennedy if he'd ever been on Epstein's jet. 

'I was on Jeffrey Epstein's jet two times,' he replied, adding that his ex-wife - the late Mary Richardson Kennedy, who died by suicide in 2012 - had 'some kind of relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell.' 

'I was on it in 1993, and I was on it in– and I went to Florida with my wife and two children to visit my mom over Easter [inaudible],' he said.

Kennedy also claimed, with little explanation, that at one point he'd gone 'fossil hunting' in South Dakota with the notorious pedophile.  

'And my wife had some kind of relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell and they offered us a ride to Palm Beach. I went then, and another occasion, I flew again with my family with, I think, four of my children.'

He claims that he's been 'very open' about this from the beginning of his campaign and said this was long before Epstein became known for his multitude of sex crimes.

'It was before anybody knew about Jeffrey Epstein's, you know nefarious issues. And I agree with you that all of this information should be released.' 

He continued to try and talk tough about the records regarding Epstein's connections to power. 

'We should get real answers on what happened to Jeffrey Epstein and any of the high-level political people that he was involved with. All of that should be open to the public.'

When asked about the relationship between his ex-wife - who hung herself in her New York home over a decade ago - a spokesperson clarified to Newsweek.

'Mary, Kennedy's wife, and two of their kids were on the flight,' the representative said. 'Mary knew Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who learned that they were going to Palm Beach for Easter and offered their family a ride.' 

There are some connections between Epstein, Maxwell and the Kennedys dating back decades.

Ghislaine Maxwell was once a guest at the high-profile wedding of Andrew Cuomo and Kerry Kennedy as it's revealed the alleged sex trafficker would boast about sleeping with JFK Jr who she regarded as her 'chief conquest'. 

Christina Oxenberg, Prince Andrew's cousin, revealed that she met Maxwell at the merging of the political dynasties in 1990. 

Oxenberg recalled in her new book, Trash: Encounters With Ghislaine Maxwell, that the ceremony happening at a Washington DC cathedral surrounded by the media, fans, and 'scores of invited guests.'

Some friends and family later gathered at Ethel Kennedy's home in McClean, Virginia, which is where Oxenberg said she met the now-infamous socialite.

'I was standing with my then-husband, Damian Elwes, a British painter when Ghislaine sauntered over. She and Damian burst with enthusiastic greetings,' Oxenberg wrote.

'I would later learn they were friends from their 'Oxford days', which I put in quotes because Damian never attended Oxford.'    

She said she partook in casual conversation with Maxwell, and believes Cuomo invited her to the ceremony.

'He was simply the governor's son in those days and little was known about him,' she told The Sun.

Cuomo was married to Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of former Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy for 15 years.

They became embroiled in a bitter divorce in 2005, amid claims of infidelity and financial disputes.

The disgraced politician was charged last week with groping an aide's breast inside the governor's executive mansion in Albany last December.

Cuomo is alleged to have touched Brittany Commisso's left breast 'for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires, all contrary to the provisions of the statute.'

New York's former governor resigned in early August, bringing an end to a 40-year political career that made him a pandemic hero.

His legacy is now in ruins thanks to a damning report by Attorney General Letitia James which labeled him a serial sexual harasser.

Cuomo has denied the allegations.

In October, alongside his current actress wife Cheryl Hines, he changed tack - saying he wanted independence from the two political parties. 

'I'm here to declare myself an independent candidate,' Kennedy said in front of several hundred supporters, whose cheers broke up his announcement. 'Candidate for president of the United States of America.' 

In a speech delivered steps away from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Kennedy said he did not come to the decision 'lightly'.

He said: 'It's very painful for me to let go of the party of my uncles, my father, my grandfather and both of my great-grandfathers.'

Four members of his family - siblings Rory, Kerry, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend - issued a joint statement saying they were against his independent bid, calling the move 'dangerous' and 'deeply saddening.' 

'The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,' the statement said. 'Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not  share the same values, vision or judgment. Today's announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.'  

Kennedy is the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. 

One supporter brought a hand-drawn sign that read, 'I want Camelot!' a reference to the nickname for President John F. Kennedy's administration.