Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, the daughter-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is being considered for the deputy director position at the CIA, a role that has sparked intrigue due to its connection to long-standing Kennedy family controversies. According to Axios, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been advocating for her candidacy, fueled by his belief that the CIA played a role in the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy. RFK Jr. sees her appointment as an opportunity to uncover secrets and push for the release of classified documents tied to the 1963 assassination.
President-elect Donald Trump, who has chosen RFK Jr. as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, feels a sense of obligation to him for support during the election. This dynamic has bolstered Fox Kennedy’s chances, but it has also generated debate about her suitability for the role. RFK Jr. has reportedly told associates that his daughter-in-law’s placement at the CIA could help “get to the bottom” of the JFK assassination, Axios reports, citing Republican sources.
Fox Kennedy’s tenure at the CIA, detailed in her memoir Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, adds further complexity to her candidacy. Her book, which provides an unvarnished look at life as a covert operative, was published without approval from the CIA’s Publication Review Board, a move that caused controversy within the agency. Despite her extensive intelligence experience, a resurfaced 2016 interview with Fox Kennedy on Al Jazeera has led to skepticism from some lawmakers. In the clip, she emphasizes the importance of listening to adversaries as a way to disarm conflict, a stance that some Senate Republicans are now scrutinizing.
The debate over Fox Kennedy’s potential appointment is tied to larger historical and political currents. RFK Jr., a vocal advocate of theories implicating the CIA in the deaths of his uncle and father, has long called for transparency about these events. Trump, for his part, has vowed to release all remaining JFK assassination documents and establish a new commission to investigate past assassination attempts.
