Kennedy's Legal Battle Begins: Claims Of Pornographic Harassment Surface Against Political Reporter

Nuzzi is accused of sending Kennedy "increasingly pornographic photos and videos," according to a mutual acquaintance, Jessica Read Kraus. The alleged harassment occurred after Kennedy unblocked Nuzzi's number, believing she had crucial information about a potential smear campaign against him.

As reported by The New York Post, Kennedy has enlisted the services of security expert Gavin de Becker to investigate the matter, as he contemplates civil and possibly criminal charges against the 31-year-old journalist. De Becker clarified that the situation was not a romantic entanglement, stating, "He was being chased by porn."

Nuzzi, who was recently put on leave, allegedly deceived the married Kennedy into receiving her explicit messages. This occurred after he initially blocked her number due to a flirtatious comment she made shortly after her profile on him was published in November 2023. Kraus, in her "House Inhabit" Substack, detailed how Nuzzi persuaded Kennedy to unblock her by claiming she had urgent information about a forthcoming hit piece against him.

Kraus alleges that Nuzzi sent Kennedy a provocative image after he unblocked her, leading him to block her once more. Over the following eight months, Kennedy maintained the block on the Washington correspondent's number, except for a few instances when she contacted him from different emails and numbers, insisting on "urgent discussions about an imminent hit piece." According to Kraus, "Once unblocked, she bombarded him with increasingly pornographic photos and videos that he found difficult to resist. After brief exchanges, he would block her again."

September 24, 2024

Kraus also mentioned that other friends she spoke to believe Nuzzi may have "set him up." The New York Post reached out to Nuzzi for comment on these allegations but received no immediate response.

Kraus, who formed an unexpected friendship with Nuzzi last year due to their mutual coverage of Kennedy, became suspicious when Nuzzi began asking her personal questions about Kennedy. She wrote, "Olivia would ask me almost intimate questions about him and his relationships with staff and his wife after each campaign stop who he was seen talking to, what his mood was like, and whether he showed any signs of flirtation." Kraus described Nuzzi's interest as an "undercurrent of fascination" that bordered on obsession, suggesting that Nuzzi was "weaving some kind of fantasy."

A source close to Kennedy previously told The New York Post that Nuzzi had become "obsessed" with Kennedy after interviewing him at his home in California. The source claimed, "She went after him aggressively. She targeted him pretty hard. Bobby was blocking her continually. It was a little scary. She was obsessed with him. I think she still is."

Nuzzi's representatives have previously denied allegations that she was the aggressor in the situation, although they did not dispute that the digital relationship was occasionally turbulent. A person familiar with the situation stated, "Its absolutely untrue that she was the aggressor, but both parties were aware of how high pressure and high risk the circumstances were and for that reason their communication was very on and off."

These revelations come after Nuzzi was placed on leave from the magazine last week, following her admission of a non-physical "personal relationship" with a former 2024 campaign subject. Sources told The New York Post that Nuzzi had allegedly been "sexting" Kennedy while she was engaged and he was married.

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is married to actress Cheryl Hines. Nuzzi, on the other hand, was engaged to fellow political reporter Ryan Lizza, but they have since separated.