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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at Celebrity Fight Night XXIII in Phoenix, Arizona. (link) by Gage Skidmore is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 (link)
Born:

Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr.

January 17, 1954 in Washington, D.C.
Nationality:

American

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) and a member of the Kennedy political family, is an environmental activist, 1 former presidential candidate, 2 and as of December 2024 the presumptive nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. 3

Kennedy has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories such as allegations between certain vaccines and the forming of autism, 4 conspiracies concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccines, 5 and various environmental and health claims. He has also faced criticism from his family regarding his opposition to wind-energy projects despite forming and previously heading environmentalist group Waterkeeper. 6

Kennedy has been accused of being a “serial philanderer,” with allegations claiming he kept a journal of his adulterous liaisons. 7 His anti-vaccine efforts date back at least to 2005, when he published an error-riddled piece in Salon and Rolling Stone. In 2015, he called vaccination “a holocaust” in a speech in Sacramento.8

He was reportedly considered by the Obama administration to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency, but he was not selected.9

Hudson Riverkeeper

Kennedy’s introduction to the environmentalist movement stemmed from a plea bargain for heroin possession in 1984. He was sentenced to 1500 hours of community service, which he completed at the Hudson River Foundation, a group later absorbed by Hudson Riverkeeper.10 Kennedy quickly became Hudson Riverkeeper’s chief prosecuting attorney after completing his volunteer work. Fifteen years later he would start Waterkeeper Alliance as part of the environmental umbrella.11

He also founded the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University in White Plains, New York, which works primarily for Hudson Riverkeeper.12 The New York Times called Kennedy “an aggressive litigator,” after he sued New York City numerous times over what he deemed its failure to adequately prevent pollution in its watershed. His work helped push the 1997 Watershed Memorandum of Agreement, which required NYC to spend $1 billion in taxpayer money over a decade to ensure its water supply was safe.13

Shortly after the turn of the 2000s, Kennedy and Hudson Riverkeeper founder Robert Boyle had a falling out. Kennedy had hired William Wegner as a staff scientist. Boyle objected to Wegner’s hiring since he had served time in federal prison for smuggling rare birds from Australia to the United States.14

Boyle and his supporters on the Riverkeeper board lost a vote to oust Wegner, who had offered to resign but had been rebuffed by Kennedy. Boyle’s supporters resigned en masse, giving control of Hudson Riverkeeper to Kennedy and his allies.14

Waterkeeper Alliance

In 1999, Kennedy and representatives of other “keeper” groups inspired by Hudson Riverkeeper formed the Waterkeeper Alliance to coordinate programs and activities.15 Kennedy has headed the Alliance since at least 2000.16

Under Kennedy, the national group has focused on litigation against farmers, first targeting pork producers before turning to chicken farms. Major efforts to target pork producers under the often-abused Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act were rejected by a federal judge in the mid-2000s.16 A subsequent effort to attack chicken farmers in Maryland a publicly funded law clinic was also rejected by courts.17

Kennedy founded his own bottled water company called Keeper Springs Water, which contributes its proceeds to Waterkeeper Alliance. The company has given more than $1 million to Waterkeeper Alliance since its founding in 1999.18

Other Environmentalist Activism

Kennedy has long called for America to move away from fossil fuel dependence to alternative sources of energy like solar and wind, but he fought against a plan that would build giant wind turbines miles off the cost of Cape Cod.19 As Kennedy wrote op-eds in publications like the New York Times criticizing the plan, critics noted the turbines would have been visible on the horizon near the Kennedy family home in Hyannis.19

Kennedy unsuccessfully implored Washington state voters to implement a carbon tax on fossil fuels, as ballot measure Initiative 732 only garnered 41 percent of the vote in the 2016 general election.20 In an op-ed, Kennedy demonized oil companies for their profits of the past decade, accusing energy companies of paralyzing Congress with campaign contributions. “While Americans suffer, big polluters are getting away with murder and getting rich in the process,” Kennedy said.21 On Nov. 15, 2016, Kennedy joined with protesters in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, to protest against the Dakota Access pipeline.22

Kennedy has also served as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a group formed in 1970 to advocate for pro-environmental policies.23 According to diaries alleged to be Kennedy’s by the New York Post, Kennedy spoke with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2001 about becoming involved in environmentalism; the actor is now a member of NRDC’s Board of Trustees.24

Anti-Vaccination Views

Kennedy has received criticism for aggressively arguing the debunked proposition that vaccinations may be linked to autism in children.25 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Institute of Medicine have all said there is no evidence to link vaccines or vaccine preservatives with brain disorders.25

In 2005, Kennedy published “Deadly Immunity,” a story for Rolling Stone and Salon that claimed government health agencies had colluded with the titans of the pharmaceutical world to hide the dangers of vaccines and vaccine preservatives from the public.26 Rolling Stone made corrections after Kennedy was accused of quoting material out of context, and Salon eventually retracted the story in 2011. “I regret we didn’t move on this more quickly, as evidence continued to emerge debunking the vaccines and autism link,” said then-Salon editor-at-large Joan Walsh.27

Kennedy has maintained his debunked belief in a vaccine-autism link. In 2014, Kennedy joined with Mark Hyman, a controversial physician who has worked for the Clinton family, to edit a book on vaccine preservatives that conspiracy theorists have claimed may cause autism.28 In late 2016, he founded the World Mercury Project, partnering with actor Robert DeNiro to offer a purported $100,000 reward for “proof” vaccines were safe.29

In January 2017, he claimed that then-President-elect Donald Trump would appoint him to head a panel to “investigate” vaccine safety. The Trump transition team denied Kennedy’s statement. 30

Covid-Era Advocacy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been criticized for his views on the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines, and the U.S. government’s response to the pandemic. His views have often been characterized as conspiracy theories. 31

Kennedy has criticized the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, and has speculated that the alleged low-quality of the vaccine can be attributed to pharmaceutical companies, Bill Gates, and Anthony Fauci pushing the vaccine for the sake of personal profit. 32

Instead of vaccines, Kennedy promoted alternative treatments for COVID-19 including hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. 33

In February 2021, Kennedy’s account was banned from Instagram for spreading alleged misinformation about COVID-19. 34

Kennedy previously claimed his disapproval for the COVID vaccine and the usage of vaccine passports. Speaking at an anti-vaccine mandate rally in January 2022, he claimed, “The minute they hand you that vaccine passport, every right that you have is transformed into a privilege contingent upon your obedience to arbitrary government dictates.”35

In July 2023, the New York Post published a video of Kennedy taken at a private event in which Kennedy speculated that COVID-19 may have been “ethnically targeted” at “Caucasians and black people,” while “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese” were apparently resistant. He further speculated that the Chinese government was in the process of developing far deadlier biological weapons with the ability to target specific ethnicities. 36

2024 Election Cycle

In April 2023, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He announced, “My mission over the next 18 months of this campaign and over my – throughout my presidency, will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power.” 2 37

In October 2023, Kennedy withdrew from the Democratic primaries and launched a presidential candidacy as an independent. 2 In March 2024, Kennedy selected Nichole Shanahan, a patent attorney and entrepreneur, as his running mate. 2

In May 2024, Kennedy was nominated as a candidate at the Libertarian Party convention but was eliminated in the first round of voting. 2

In August 2024, Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed Republican candidate former President Donald Trump while urging his supporters to vote for Trump in every state. 2 Kennedy attributed his endorsement of Trump to Democratic opposition to free speech, Democratic support for military aid to Ukraine, and an alleged “war on children” waged by Democrats. 38

Post-2024 Election

Shortly after the 2024 election, Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as his prospective nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy announced, “I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth.” 39

Political Views

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s political views allegedly vary between left-of-center and right-of-center views on several issues such as the growth of government bureaucracy and big corporation influence, pro-choice support for abortion access but opposing late-term, and endorsing pre-licensing safety trials for vaccines while opposing mandatory vaccination policy. 40

In terms of foreign policy, Kennedy has previously criticized U.S operations and military involvement in Middle Eastern countries including Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Libya. He has voiced opposition to the U.S providing financial and military support for Ukraine during its ongoing war against Russia since the latter invaded in February 2022. However, Kennedy has voiced support for the State of Israel’s military response in Gaza and against terror group Hamas following the October 7, 2023 terror attacks as well as U.S military support for Israel. However, he has voiced support for reducing the U.S military budget by as much as 50%. 40

In terms of immigration, Kennedy has advocated in favor of stronger border security while streamlining the legal immigration process. 40

Kennedy has claimed to support the creation of a government program to provide tax-free government-backed mortgage bonds to encourage housing purchases. 40

Kennedy has previously supported gun control policies, while claiming that mass shooting events have been due to excessive access to prescription pharmaceutical drugs. 40

Kennedy has advocated in favor of environmentalist policies he claims will reduce pollution as well as end “corporate capture of environmental regulatory agencies.” 40

Kennedy has previously advocated for ending the war on drugs and granting amnesty to prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes. 40

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has allegedly made controversial scientific claims in the past such as cellphone towers and Wi-Fi causing brain cancer, 41 consumption of ultra-processed foods leading to increased obesity and a rise in other health diseases, 31 claiming the presence of fluoride in public water has been associated with “…arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” 31 42 and has allegedly claimed that “transgenderism” is caused by chemical “endocrine disruptors” found in plastic, pesticides, and food. 43

Personal Life

Kennedy has had a notably difficult personal life, with repeated allegations of marital infidelity and a periodic battle with drug abuse. Kennedy has been married three times, divorcing his first wife, Emily Black, one month before marrying Mary Richardson, then six months pregnant, in 1994.44 Kennedy, who reportedly engaged in numerous infidelities, would file for divorce from Richardson in 2010, but the divorce was not finalized before Richardson committed suicide in 2012.45 In 2014, Kennedy married Cheryl Hines.46

According to diaries alleged by the New York Post to have been Kennedy’s from the early 2000s, Kennedy would routinely record his infidelities during his marriage to Richardson.47 He was reportedly deposed in divorce proceedings surrounding one of his alleged mistresses.48

References

  1. Oppenheimer, Jerry. “EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s been hard on my family.’ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resigns from his post at environmental group after three decades – amid reports of marriage trouble – but founder says ‘good riddance’” Daily Mail Online. March 17, 2017. Accessed April 20, 2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4320486/Robert-Kennedy-Jr-quits-Riverkeeper-hard-family.html
  2. “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” Ballotpedia. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr.
  3. “Trump Nominates RFK Jr. to Remake Healthcare.” NPR, November 15, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/15/1213159025/trump-nominates-rfk-jr-to-remake-healthcare.
  4. Palmer, Brian. “Zealots Like RFK Jr. Have Already Made Vaccines Less Safe.” Slate Magazine. January 13, 2017. Accessed April 19, 2017. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/01/the_thimerosal_episode_explains_the_danger_of_rfk_jr.html.
  5. Weisman, Jonathan. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Airs Bigoted New Covid Conspiracy Theory about Jews and Chinese.” The New York Times, July 16, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/us/politics/rfk-jr-remarks-covid.html.
  6. Center for Organizational Research and Education. “Waterkeeper Alliance.” Activist Facts. Accessed April 19, 2017. https://www.activistfacts.com/person/2765-robert-f-kennedy-jr/.
  7. Daily Mail Reporter. “RFK Jr’s secret sex diary: Serial philanderer’s journal discovered with a scorecard of conquests and noted on his Catholic guilt over cheating on wife Mary who later committed suicide.” Daily Mail Online. September 08, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415449/RFK-Jrs-secret-sex-diary-Serial-philanders-journal-includes-scorecard-conquests-Catholic-guilt-cheating-wife-Mary.html
  8. White, Jeremy B. “Robert Kennedy Jr. warns of vaccine-linked ‘holocaust'” Sacramento Bee. April 7, 2015. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article17814440.html
  9. Lovley, Erika. “RFK Jr.: Too controversial for EPA?” POLITICO. November 07, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2017. http://www.politico.com/story/2008/11/rfk-jr-too-controversial-for-epa-015403
  10. Walsh, S.M. “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know.” Heavy. July 22, 2016. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://heavy.com/news/2016/07/robert-f-kennedy-michael-skakel-martha-moxley-murder-dateline/
  11. Activist Facts: Robert F. Kennedy. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.activistfacts.com/person/2765-robert-f-kennedy-jr/.
  12. “Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic.” Pace Law School. Accessed April 20, 2017. http://www.law.pace.edu/pace-environmental-litigation-clinic
  13. Worth, Robert. “A Kennedy and His Mentor Part Ways Over River Group.” New York Times. November 5, 2000. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/05/nyregion/a-kennedy-and-his-mentor-part-ways-over-river-group.html.
  14. Worth, Robert. “A Kennedy and His Mentor Part Ways Over River Group.” New York Times. November 5, 2000. Accessed November 16, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/05/nyregion/a-kennedy-and-his-mentor-part-ways-over-river-group.html.
  15. “Waterkeeper Movement Milestones.” Waterkeeper Alliance. Accessed April 25, 2017. http://waterkeeper.org/magazine/winter-2016/waterkeeper-movement-milestones/
  16. Center for Organizational Research and Education. “Waterkeeper Alliance.” Activist Facts. Accessed April 25, 2017. https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/25-waterkeeper-alliance/
  17. Olson, Walter. “Ruling discredits UM law clinic’s involvement.” Baltimoresun.com. December 27, 2012. Accessed April 25, 2017. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-hudson-lawsuit-20121227-story.html
  18. Keeper Springs Water: About Us. Accessed November 17, 2016. http://keepersprings.com/about/about-us/.
  19. Kennedy Jr., Robert F. “An Ill Wind Off Cape Cod.” New York Times. December 16, 2005. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/opinion/an-ill-wind-off-cape-cod.html.
  20. Heisman, Rebecca. “Carbon Tax Initiative Fails in Washington State.” Earth & Space Science News. November 14, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://eos.org/articles/carbon-tax-initiative-fails-in-washington-state.
  21. Kennedy Jr., Robert F. “RFK, Jr.: Washington Voters Step Up, Pass the Nation’s First Carbon Tax.” Ecowatch. November 4, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.ecowatch.com/carbon-tax-robert-kennedy-jr-2077945567.html.
  22. “Neil Young, Robert Kennedy Jr. visit pipeline protesters in N.D.” The Jamestown Sun. November 16, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.jamestownsun.com/news/state/4160367-neil-young-robert-kennedy-jr-visit-pipeline-protesters-nd.
  23. Natural Resources Defense Council: About Us. Accessed November 17, 2016. https://www.nrdc.org/about.
  24. Vincent, Isabel, and Melissa Klein. “RFK’s diary: stars, yachts and falcons.” New York Post. September 17, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://nypost.com/2013/09/15/rfks-diary-details-days-with-stars-yachts-and-falcons/
  25. Kloor, Keith. “Robert Kennedy Jr.’s belief in autism-vaccine connection, and its political peril.” Washington Post. July 18, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/robert-kennedy-jrs-belief-in-autism-vaccine-connection-and-its-political-peril/2014/07/16/f21c01ee-f70b-11e3-a606-946fd632f9f1_story.html.
  26. Kennedy, Jr., Robert F. “Deadly Immunity.” Rolling Stone. February 9, 2011. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/deadly-immunity-20110209.
  27. Lauerman, Kelly. “Correcting our record.” Salon. January 16, 2011. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.salon.com/2011/01/16/dangerous_immunity/.
  28. Ross, Chuck. “Clinton Family Doctor Is A Vaccination Skeptic.” The Daily Caller. February 4, 2015. Accessed April 19, 2017. http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/04/clinton-family-doctor-is-a-vaccination-skeptic/
  29. Orac. “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Robert De Niro issue a $100,000 vaccine “challenge.” It’s every bit as much as scam as Jock Doubleday’s “vaccine challenge” was a decade ago.” Respectful Insolence. February 16, 2017. Accessed April 19, 2017. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2017/02/16/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-robert-de-niro-issue-a-100000-vaccine-challenge-its-every-bit-as-much-as-scam-as-jock-doubledays-vaccine-challenge/
  30. Mnookin, Seth. “How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Distorted Vaccine Science.” Scientific American. January 11, 2017. Accessed April 19, 2017. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-robert-f-kennedy-jr-distorted-vaccine-science1/
  31. “Fact-checking RFK Jr’s views on health policy.” BBC. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzk2y41zvo.
  32. O’Brien, Shane. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr says Dr. Fauci and Bill Gates stand to profit from COVID-19 vaccine.” Irish Central. April 27, 2020. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.irishcentral.com/news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-dr-fauci-covid19-vaccine.
  33. Cunningham, Aimee; Garcia de Jesus, Erin; Sanders, Laura. “Vaccines, fluoride, raw milk: How RFK Jr.’s views may shape public health.” Science News. November 18, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rfk-vaccines-fluoride-autism-milk-covid.
  34. Singh, Maanvi. “Instagram removes anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr for false Covid-19 claims.” The Guardian. February 10, 2021. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/10/instagram-removes-anti-vaxxer-robert-f-kennedy-jr.
  35. Nagourney, Adam. “A Kennedy’s Crusade against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and Friends.” The New York Times. The New York Times, February 26, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/us/robert-kennedy-covid-vaccine.html.
  36. Levine, Jon. “RFK Jr. says COVID may have been ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jews.” New York Post. July 15, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/rfk-jr-says-covid-was-ethnically-targeted-to-spare-jews/.
  37. Bond, Shannon. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces he’s running for president.” NPR. April 19, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/19/1170919466/robert-f-kennedy-jr-announces-hes-running-for-president.
  38. Cooper, Jonathan J.; Price, Michelle L.; Sandoval, Gabriel. “RFK Jr. suspends his presidential bid and backs Donald Trump before appearing with him at his rally.” AP. August 23, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45.
  39. Collins, Kaitlan; Holmes, Kristen; Pellish, Aaron. “Trump picks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Department of Health and Human Services secretary.” CNN. November 24, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/robert-f-kennedy-donald-trump-hhs/index.html.
  40.  “Vaccines to Ukraine: Where does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stand on key issues?.” NewsNation. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/where-does-robert-f-kennedy-jr-stand-on-key-issues/.
  41. Ries, Julia. “RFK Jr. Is Spreading Misinformation Again (And This Time It’s Not About Vaccines).” Yahoo! News. November 6, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/rfk-jr-spreading-misinformation-again-094503733.html.
  42. Thorp, Benjamin. “Trump’s health pick wants to remove fluoride from our water. Does science back the effort?.” Wfyi. November 20, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/trumps-health-pick-wants-to-remove-protective-fluoride-from-our-water-does-science-back-this-eff#:~:text=A%20low%20dose%20of%20fluoride,for%20Disease%20Control%20and%20Prevention.
  43. Turner, Abby; Kaczynski. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly suggested that chemicals in water are impacting sexuality of children.” CNN. July 13, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/politics/robert-kennedy-jr-chemicals-water-children-frogs/index.html.
  44. McAfee, Tierney. “Robert Kennedy Jr’s Troubled Marriages Detailed in New Book.” PEOPLE.com. September 15, 2015. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://people.com/books/robert-kennedy-jrs-troubled-marriages-detailed-in-new-book/
  45. Collins, Nancy. “New Questions Arise About Mary Richardson Kennedy’s Suicide.” The Daily Beast. May 16, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/16/new-questions-arise-about-mary-richardson-kennedy-s-suicide.html
  46. Siegler, Mara. “Friends think Hines was crazy to marry ‘cheater’ RFK Jr.” Page Six. August 23, 2015. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://pagesix.com/2015/08/22/friends-of-rfk-jr-think-cheryl-hines-was-crazy-to-marry-him/
  47. Vincent, Isabel, and Melissa Klein. “RFK’s sex diary: His secret journal of affairs.” New York Post. November 08, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://nypost.com/2013/09/08/rfk-jr-s-sex-diary-of-adultery/
  48. Nathan , Sara. “EXCLUSIVE: Bobby Kennedy Jr. ‘will admit’ to an affair with socialite – ‘but will say it only happened AFTER she filed for divorce'” Daily Mail Online. December 29, 2014. Accessed April 21, 2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2887876/Robert-Kennedy-Jr-admit-affair-socialite-say-happened-filed-divorce-lawyers-state.html
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