Star political reporter Olivia Nuzzi on leave over alleged affair with RFK Jr
The New York Magazine political correspondent, 31, claimed she’d recently had a romantic relationship with the former presidential candidate, 70.
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Star US political journalist Olivia Nuzzi is on leave after disclosing an alleged affair with controversial former presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The 31-year-old Washington correspondent for New York Magazine allegedly became romantically entangled with Mr Kennedy after covering him on the campaign trail late last year, former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy reported for STATUS.
In a statement to the publication, a New York spokesperson said that Ms Nuzzi “acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures”.
“Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the spokesperson added.
“An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust.”
CNN reporter Brian Stelter shared a statement from Ms Nuzzi on X, in which she did not disclose the identity of her “former reporting subject”.
“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal,” the statement reads.
“During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source.
“The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”
A spokesperson for Mr Kennedy – who suspended his fringe White House bid in August and threw his support behind Donald Trump – denied a romantic relationship with the reporter.
“Mr Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” the spokesperson, somewhat bafflingly, said.
At odds with this is a claim from one source, who told STATUS Mr Kennedy would “boast” about his relationship with Ms Nuzzi.
A lengthy profile of Mr Kennedy, written by Ms Nuzzi, was published by New York on November 22 last year.
Mr Kennedy has been married to Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines since 2014.
Ms Nuzzi, meanwhile, announced her engagement to Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza in September 2023.
Originally published as Star political reporter Olivia Nuzzi on leave over alleged affair with RFK Jr
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