RFK Jr’s potential VP pick Aaron Rodgers accused of pushing Sandy Hook conspiracy theories

‘I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,’ the Jets quarterback said in a post on X

Aaron Rodgers, one of two men now being tipped as Robert F Kennedy Jr’s potential running mate, has been accused of pushing conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook mass shooting.

In recent days, it emerged that RFK Jr, who is running as an independent presidential candidate, is eyeing former professional wrestler and governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura or New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as his future vice presidential pick.

Both candidates, like RFK Jr, have a penchant for conspiracy theories.

Mr Ventura previously presented the TruTV show Conspiracy Theory in which he examined various conspiracy theories on subjects such as global warming and the September 11 terrorist attacks, while Mr Rodgers, like RFK Jr, pushed conspiracies about the Covid-19 vaccine.

Now, a bombshell new CNN report has claimed that Mr Rodgers also allegedly pushed a conspiracy theory that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was not real.

During the 2013 Kentucky Derby, he allegedly told CNN journalist Pamela Brown, who co-authored the new report, that the shooting was a government inside job and that the media was intentionally ignoring this.

He also asked Ms Brown if she thought it was off that there were men in black in the woods by the school, falsely claiming those men were government operatives, according to the report.

Aaron Rodgers (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

CNN also cited a second anonymous source who said that Mr Rodgers claimed several years ago that “Sandy Hook never happened”.

“All those children never existed. They were all actors,” he allegedly said.

Following the report, Mr Rodgers denied that he has ever been of the opinion that the shooting did not take place.

“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” he said in a statement posted to X. “Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.”

The Sandy Hook shooting is the deadliest shooting at an elementary school in US history, with 20 first graders and six educators killed in the massacre.

Mr Rodgers isn’t the first to push conspiracy theories about the shooting.

Infowars host Alex Jones was successfully sued by the families of the victims after repeatedly lying that the shooting didn’t happen – and that the murdered children were “crisis actors”.

In October last year, a judge ruled that Mr Jones could not use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying the families $1.5bn in damages.

While his connection to the Sandy Hook conspiracy was previously unknown, this isn’t the first time Mr Rodgers has been accused of pushing conspiracy theories.

He repeatedly questioned the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines and maligned the US’s pandemic response czar Anthony Fauci as “one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation,” pointing people in the direction of anti-vaxxer RFK Jr instead.

Aaron Rodgers, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and Jesse Ventura (Getty)

Science has shown Covid-19 vaccines to be overwhelmingly safe and effective.

RFK Jr, who is the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, is also a prominent anti-vaxxer, and has previously made baseless claims that vaccines are linked to brain disorders. He also claimed that the virus which causes Covid-19 was “ethnically targeted” and was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people”.

Following his announcement that he was running for president, RFK Jr’s own family denounced him as “dangerous” and “perilous for our country”.

“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment,” his sister, Kerry Kennedy, wrote on behalf of four members of the illustrious political dynasty.

JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg also condemned his cousin, calling him an “embarrassment” to the family name.

Experts have predicted that RFK Jr could capture 24 per cent of the vote in November, taking away millions of votes from both Democrats and Republicans.

On Wednesday, his campaign announced that he will name his running mate on 26 March in Oakland, California.

He is reportedly also considering other options aside from Mr Rodgers and Mr Ventura.

The Independent has contacted representatives of Mr Rodgers for comment.