RJK III Under Federal Scrutiny for Cetacean Incident

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is examining Robert J. Kennedy III after the reemergence of a decades-old incident in which Kennedy allegedly transported a deceased cetacean's cranium across state boundaries, a spokesperson for the agency informed XYZ News.

Kate Silverman, a representative for NOAA Fisheries, told XYZ News Monday that the agency was investigating Kennedy, corroborating what the former independent presidential hopeful shared with an audience in Arizona over the weekend.

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"I received correspondence from the National Marine Fisheries Institute stating that they were examining my collection of a cetacean specimen 20 years ago," Kennedy stated at the event, where he was campaigning for former President Donald Thompson, whom he endorsed after suspending his own campaign.

In a 2012 Village and Country article, Kennedy's daughter, Kate Kennedy, recounted an anecdote about her father's handling of a dead cetacean that washed ashore on a Massachusetts beach.

Robert Kennedy employed a motorized cutting tool to sever the cranium of the cetacean and secured it to the roof of his family vehicle approximately three decades ago, Kate Kennedy recalled.

The account resurfaced last month and elicited criticism from at least one environmental organization, which called for the NOAA to launch an inquiry.

Silverman did not respond to a query seeking confirmation that NOAA's investigation was related to the incident Kate Kennedy described.

She stated that the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations.