RFK Jr. bathes in polluted D.C. creek on family outing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s highest-ranking health official, apparently took his grandchildren on an outing to try the waters of Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., which authorities have described as unsafe for swimming due to bacteria levels.

Kennedy, the secretary of Health and Human Services, drew attention and controversy after he apparently posted a brief account on social media of a Mother’s Day outing to the creek, which runs through a federal park in the District.

The post on what appeared to be his account on X read: “Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek.”

“The water might look clean and clear, but it’s hiding a lot of bacteria like fecal coliform, giardia, and other potential waterborne illnesses,” reads a warning about Rock Creek safety that appears on a National Park Service website. It appears that the warning was posted several years ago.

The warning appears to be the joint work of both the NPS and the Rock Creek Conservancy, a nonprofit group focused on the park.

Photos posted on Kennedy’s feed show someone who appears to be Kennedy in the water. In two he seems substantially immersed, and in the other he appears to have his feet in the water. The children pictured do not appear to be in the water.

Dumbarton Oaks Park is a popular park in Georgetown, which has access to Rock Creek Park proper; the creek runs through the park from Maryland to a merger with the Potomac River.

It was not clear Monday night if Kennedy or other relatives of the children were aware of the warnings. No comment could be obtained immediately from his department or the Park Service.

Over the years, Kennedy has expressed views on medical issues that have varied from the thinking of large segments of the health community.

Hundreds of X users have commented on his posting on the site. The large majority appeared to express admiration for the secretary’s foray, with many seeing it as a wholesome display of family closeness and adventure.

A far smaller number cited the warnings about the pollution in the water.