A viral claim suggesting that John F Kennedy Jr. died just before he was to announce his Senate run against former first lady, Hillary Clinton, is found to be untrue.
It isn't for the first time that rumours surrounding Kennedy's death have surfaced on social media. Earlier it was believed that he was still alive and return soon. Some even claimed that he is a QAnon leader.
What is Being Claimed?
An attorney and the son of former U.S President John F. Kennedy Junior was flying a plane along with his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and sister-in-law in 1999 when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard. Kennedy, along with his wife Carolyn Bessette, were cremated and buried at sea, reported PolitiFact.
The recent rumour surfaced on social media claiming that Kennedy was preparing to make an announcement about his candidacy for U.S. senator of New York right before his death. A post made on Facebook read, "While flying, John crashed his plane, killing himself, his wife, and his sister in law. This was before his announcement to challenge Hillary Clinton for New York. A massive cover-up operation occurred immediately."
"Never forget that the death of JFK Junior gave Hillary Clinton her seat. He was going to stomp her and everyone knew it," a Twitter user wrote.
"There have been suggestions that she had something to do with JFK Junior's plane crashing. Who stood to gain by his death? It was Hillary Clinton!" read another tweet.
Here is the Truth
Debunking the claim being made in the social media posts, Lead Stories reported that many reports published shortly after Kennedy's death, describe his initial openness to the idea, then his reluctance.
Citing a New York Daily News article from 1999, the outlet reported that Kennedy considered a candidacy but backed off after Clinton announced her run. "Earlier this year, in one of the best-kept secrets in state politics, Kennedy considered seeking the seat of retiring Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-N.Y.) in 2000, friends confirmed yesterday. The idea became moot once First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton signaled her interest in running, but the two friends said they expected the son of the slain President eventually would have jumped into politics as a candidate. 'He was dedicated to public service, and he was going to run for public office in the foreseeable future,' said one friend who recently broached the subject with Kennedy. The friend spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'I would have been surprised had he not run for office in the next five years,'" the article read.
Another report from The New York Times claimed that Kennedy was not interested in the race even before Clinton announced her candidacy. "Senator Torricelli said Mr. Kennedy told him he might be interested later but the timing was not right and he would not seek the seat. This was more than a month before Mrs. Clinton's name emerged as a possibility. The speculation that John Kennedy was not a candidate for the U.S. Senate because of Hillary Clinton is not accurate,'' Senator Torricelli said in an interview today," the article read.
