Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took a plunge into the waters of Washington, DC’s notoriously contaminated Rock Creek – where swimming is banned because of high levels of fecal bacteria.
“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,” RFK Jr. wrote in an X post on Sunday.
The post included photographs of the shirtless HHS secretary completely submerged in the creek’s polluted waters.
In one image, RFK Jr. is seen dangling his young grandson over the creek, allowing his toes to touch the water.
The National Park Service warns that while the water in Rock Creek may look clean, cool and inviting, bacteria such as “fecal coliform, Giardia, and other potential waterborne illnesses” may be present.
The NPS notes that because of the “high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens,” swimming and wading are not allowed in the creek.
“Chemicals flow into streams and into the creek from surrounding communities through storm drains and rainfall,” according to NPS. “These contaminants, among others, can make your family members, your furry four-legged friends, and you sick.”
Kennedy Jr. claimed in a deposition as part of his 2012 divorce proceeding that he once suffered from “cognitive problems,” and doctors later found a dead worm inside his brain.
The HHS secretary attributed his health issues to the worm “that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
In the deposition, Kennedy Jr. said he was unsure how he contracted the parasite, but suggested it might have been during a trip to South Asia.
As HHS secretary, Kennedy Jr. has vowed to focus on combating the “childhood chronic disease epidemic” and promote President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Since taking office, RFK Jr. has pledged to determine the cause of the “autism epidemic” by September and has moved to phase out several artificial dyes from the US food supply.
HHS did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
