The Kennedy Family's Past Ties To Jeffrey Epstein And Ghislaine Maxwell, Explained

Who exactly was involved with the crimes of late sexual predator and financier Jeffrey Epstein remains a question with an ever-evolving answer. More and more well-known names have been revealed in connection to Epstein, but it still seems that the public never quite knows the full extent of who involved themselves with his criminal acts. Yet, there's one famous family whose association with the disgraced figure is certain. Among the famous faces who associated with Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, were members of the Kennedy family.

The Kennedys are one of the most well-known political families of our time. And a connection with Jeffrey Epstein is one of the worst things a political figure can have at the moment. Consequently, it was quite a shock for many when presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went into detail about his involvement with Epstein. Unsurprisingly, Kennedy's admission that he did know the late public figure personally wasn't his own choice. A photo of Kennedy and his wife, Mary, with Jeffrey Epstein in 1994 had been circulating the web. Fox News correspondent Jesse Watters prompted Kennedy to address his relationship with Epstein when the presidential candidate appeared on his show. Kennedy's response painted a much clearer picture of his real ties to the late moneyman.

When probed by Jesse Watters about his association with Jeffrey Epstein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came clean. But, according to him, he'd never withheld that he knew Epstein. "I was on Jeffrey Epstein's jet two times," Kennedy explained. This jet has become infamous since it was frequently used to escort minors to Epstein Island, where they often suffered sexual abuse. Kennedy elaborated, saying, "I was on it in 1993, and I was on it in — and I went to Florida with my [now ex-] wife [Mary Richardson Kennedy] and two children to visit my mom over Easter." He explained, "My wife had some kind of relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, and they offered us a ride to Palm Beach."

He went into further detail about his involvement with Epstein, saying, "I went then, and on another occasion, I flew again with my family with, I think, four of my children and Mary, my wife, to Rapid City, South Dakota, to go fossil hunting for a weekend." He added that he "was never on his jet alone." While this kind of involvement with Epstein paints a dark picture, Kennedy insisted that, at the time, being associated with the financier wasn't what it seems like today. "This was in '93, so it was 30 years ago — before anybody knew about Jeffrey Epstein's nefarious issues," Kennedy assured the public.

We can already be fairly certain that the Kennedy family's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein goes beyond Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s time on the financier's plane. Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Florida for sex trafficking, and she is known as Epstein's partner in crime. Maxwell also had her own involvement with the Kennedy family. In 1990, Maxwell was a guest at the wedding of Kerry Kennedy (Robert Jr.'s sister) and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. How close Kerry and Ghislaine were is unclear, but the timeline makes it obvious that the Kennedy siblings must have been running in the same social circles as Epstein and Maxwell. Rumor has it that her attachment to the Kennedys went even deeper.

Prince Andrew is, of course, another public figure who had a controversial friendship with Epstein. Andrew's cousin, Christina Oxenberg's book, "Trash: Encounters With Ghislaine Maxwell," revealed some details about Maxwell's involvement with the Kennedy family. According to Oxenberg, she met Maxwell at Ethel Kennedy's home at an intimate gathering following Kerry's wedding, implying that Maxwell may have been particularly acquainted with the Kennedys. And that's not all. A source close to Maxwell told OK Magazine that Maxwell had a one-night stand with John F. Kennedy Jr. in the 1990s and called him her "chief conquest."