Fact Check: Did RFK Jr say JFK Jr was killed by the 'deep state'?
WASHINGTON, DC: A viral claim circulating online alleges that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr revealed that his cousin, John F Kennedy Jr, was killed by the "deep state" or CIA to prevent him from exposing the truth about President John F Kennedy's assassination.
The claim further states that JFK Jr's 1999 death was part of a cover-up rather than a plane crash. JFK Jr, his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette died on July 16, 1999, when the Piper Saratoga aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard. So, let's fact-check the claim.
Claim: RFK Jr said JFK Jr didn't die in a plane crash but was 'taken out by the deep state'
🚨BREAKING:🚨RFK JR. REVEALS HIS COUSIN JFK JR. DID NOT DIE IN A PLANE CRASH, WAS "TAKEN OUT" BY THE DEEP STATE AFTER TRYING TO EXPOSE TRUTH ABOUT HIS FATHER'S ASSASSINATION - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just DROPPED A BOMB ON THE DEEP STATE by… pic.twitter.com/9Vx5tMyRFP
— Joshua Hall (@JoshHall2024) June 8, 2026
A post shared by X (formerly Twitter) user Joshua Hall read, "RFK JR. REVEALS HIS COUSIN JFK JR. DID NOT DIE IN A PLANE CRASH, WAS 'TAKEN OUT' BY THE DEEP STATE AFTER TRYING TO EXPOSE TRUTH ABOUT HIS FATHER'S ASSASSINATION."
"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just DROPPED A BOMB ON THE DEEP STATE by claiming that his cousin and the son of President John F. Kennedy, JFK Jr., DID NOT ACTUALLY DIE IN A PLANE CRASH like we were told for decades but was ASSASSINATED BY THE VERY SAME CIA OPERATIVES THAT KILLED HIS FATHER," it added.
The post further stated that RFK Jr unearthed that JFK Jr was "JUST DAYS AWAY FROM RELEASING A TELL ALL BOOK" and taking part in a nationally televised interview that would expose "THE DETAILED TRUTH AND COVER UP" surrounding his father, President John F Kennedy's assassination.
The user also claimed that JFK Jr was preparing to expose those responsible for his father's death and bring "The Deep State government actors who killed his father TO THEIR KNEES." According to the post, this is why JFK Jr was allegedly "ELIMINATED" in what RFK Jr described as a "WELL COORDINATED, ELABORATE GOVERNMENT PLOT" that was later presented to the public as a plane crash.
Fact Check: False, there's no evidence RFK Jr made such claims
The claim is false. There is no evidence that RFK Jr, either as HHS Secretary or in any other capacity, has ever stated that JFK Jr was assassinated by the CIA or the "deep state."
The facts do not support the viral claim. The crash that killed JFK Jr, his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren on July 16, 1999, was thoroughly investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators concluded that the crash resulted from pilot error caused by spatial disorientation while JFK Jr was flying his Piper Saratoga aircraft in poor nighttime visibility over the Atlantic Ocean.
While RFK Jr has publicly expressed his belief that the 1963 assassination of his uncle, JFK, involved the CIA, neither he nor any credible source has linked JFK Jr's 1999 plane crash to the CIA, the "deep state," or an assassination plot.
The rumor appears to stem from online misinformation that conflates separate historical events. It combines RFK Jr's long-standing views about JFK's assassination with the well-documented plane crash that claimed the lives of JFK Jr, Carolyn, and Lauren, creating a false narrative unsupported by evidence.
