RFK Jr. Secretly Recorded Second Wife During Divorce and Acknowledged Being “Polygamous”

RFK Jr.’s diary detailing extensive extramarital affairs

which could number in the dozens, Mary Richardson became both furious and emotionally damaged by the infidelity. She was drinking so much that she accumulated two driving while-intoxicated offenses. Daniel and Mary battled for years to gain legal rights over their joint children’s custody. Richardson’s battle with RFK Jr. ended tragically with her suicide by hanging at their Bedford home on May 16, 2012.

As a Trump nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. engaged in illegal phone and personal exchanges with Richardson, which he recorded without her consent.

Mother Jones collected these recorded phone conversations from 2011 through early 2012, which spanned over sixty recorded exchanges. During multiple recordings, Richardson expressed intense sorrow about her split from Kennedy. During these outbursts, she would send harsh insults; other times, she approached him with reconciliation requests. Kennedy kept recorded conversations active as he spoke to Richardson, yet his careful approach differed noticeably from her less restrained discussion. During these recordings, he repeatedly encouraged his wife to complete their divorce proceedings while continuously referring to the consequences of her actions for their relationship breakdown along with his extramarital relationships. During all recorded conversations, Kennedy did not disclose recording activities to Richardson nor sought permission to record her.

During their June 4, 2011, heated argument, Kennedy informed his wife of eight years that he wanted to develop a monogamous relationship. Being in a polygamous relationship goes against everything I want in a relationship. I think that’s wrong.” Richardson asked, “So why continue this pattern during the past ten years?” The recordings remain unpublished at Mother Jones because they present unverified allegations and third-party information that raises privacy challenges. (Kennedy confessed to Richardson, “I did it because I was being abused at home.”) Kennedy rejected multiple attempts to provide comments about the recorded audio communication.

The recorded telephone conversation between Kennedy and Richardson happened when Richardson was allegedly in California, which maintains two-party consent requirements for such recordings. California privacy law demands universal party consent to record personal telephone conversations. Illinois law enables authorities to impose a fine of up to $2,500, which results in up to one year of imprisonment for statute violations.

This call occurred on June 14, 2011. The screenwriter attended the premiere of The Last Mountain documentary in Los Angeles during that time. The back-and-forth lasted eight minutes while Kennedy begged Richardson to sign the custody agreement, which brought out Richardson’s complaints against him and her request to stop photographing Conor in public with Kennedy’s girlfriend, Cheryl Hines. A recorded six-minute phone call shows Kennedy did not make it clear to Richardson that his conversation was being captured.

Under California law, performing surveillance without two-party consent constitutes a serious misdemeanor offense and grounds for civil action through the court system. Both civil lawsuits and criminal misdemeanor prosecutions in California must begin within one year, according to the state’s limitations periods. The California-based Conn Law law firm explains that courts within the state usually prefer two-party consent rules when one party resides in the state, thus requiring recording agreements for both participants.

The records documenting Kennedy’s conversations with Richardson fell under discovery requests for divorce proceedings, yet Richardson’s legal team received no access to this material, according to somebody familiar with case details.During their divorce proceedings, Richardson suspected Kennedy was making secret audio recordings.

During the judicial proceedings, Kenedy used a sealed 60-page sworn declaration to present his accusations against Richardson. The response included charges that Richardson screamed violently and then drank heavily before beating him and attempting self-harm in front of their children under the same roof. Richardson used assistance from her sisters Martha and Nan Richardson to draft a rebuttal against Kennedy’s affidavit in March 2012 – several months after Kennedy made his filing.

Mother Jones received this verified document from a Richardson family member. According to Richardson’s draft statement, she accused Kennedy of secretly recording phone conversations that took place within her home. Kennedy left behind his affidavits, transcripts from secretly recorded phone calls, and additional papers accessible to anyone who wanted to review them.

Through her drafted affi, davit Kennedy faced serious accusations from Richa, Edson, which stated he waged “alarmed destruction” during their divorce scandal. The document presented multiple offensive allegations against Kennedy by representing him as a lousy father while revealing he lied about his extramarital activities. Additionally, the document claimed he physically abused her during their marriage and took his prescribed drugs recklessly. Duval County court papers recorded Richardson calling Kennedy a “sexual deviant” while labeling him with “sex addiction” alongside demonstrating possession of his phone’s affair-connected text messages and photos.

Multiple key moments from their relationship issues were included within the draft document. In the draft document, Richardson admitted to her mistakes while recounting an angry incident in which she struck Kennedy. The accused woman repudiated numerous charges within Kennedy’s declaration and asserted she never discussed suicide with their kids.

Below her tragic telling of their failed marriage, she detailed numerous critical statements about her divorced spouse. She witnessed Bobby’s extreme obsessive-compulsive tendency to destroy anyone he recognized as his enemy, according to her statement. She also challenged his veracity: His skill for passionate public speaking stands together with his tendency to use hyperbolic and exaggerated imagery. According to her, Bobby adjusts information so people hear his version of the truth before it gets dispersed in their minds through classic gaslighting techniques. According to her testimony, she established Kennedy offered media organizations a falsified narrative of his flawless nuclear unit.

Kennedy declined to answer questions about this particular document.

Richardson wrote a draft response to Kennedy’s affidavit that contained contentious accusations, profound sadness, and minor scandalous declarations. Since reaching the age of fifteen, she has been carrying Bobby and his family’s private secrets into the world.

Richardson failed to present any document variation before judicial authorities. She died two months after things started.