WASHINGTON — Conservative commentator Candace Owens is expanding on her theory that journalist Olivia Nuzzi is entangled in an "elaborate sexual blackmail scheme," targeting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In her March 27, 2025, podcast episode “Who Is Controlling RFK Jr.?”—part of her “Candace” series on YouTube—Owens alleges that Jessica Mann, a key witness in Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, reached out to her with explosive details linking Nuzzi to a broader conspiracy. Owens says this backs her claim that Kennedy’s enemies are weaponizing his past to derail his anti-Pharma agenda, but hard evidence remains elusive as of Monday.
Owens’ accusations build on Nuzzi’s documented 2024 scandal with Kennedy. Nuzzi, then with New York Magazine, wrote a profile on Kennedy in November 2023 during his presidential bid. By mid-2024, reports confirmed their relationship turned personal with flirty FaceTime calls and suggestive photos, though Nuzzi denied anything physical.
After her editors caught wind, she was placed on leave in September 2024, and an internal review cleared her work of bias but flagged a conflict of interest. She left the magazine in October. That same month, Nuzzi accused her ex-fiancé, Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, of blackmailing her by leaking the affair after their August breakup.
Lizza countered that Nuzzi admitted to a year-long entanglement with Kennedy, who he said expressed desires to “possess” and “impregnate” her. Nuzzi dropped her protective order against Lizza in November, leaving the dispute unresolved.
Candace reveals revelations from Jessica Mann, whom Owens says contacted her directly. Mann, an aspiring actress whose 2013 rape accusation led to Weinstein’s New York conviction, allegedly told Owens that Nuzzi’s role goes beyond a fling.
In the podcast, Owens claims Mann revealed “specific details” about Nuzzi’s actions, suggesting she was a pawn in a setup to compromise Kennedy. Owens doesn’t fully spell out Mann’s account—saying only that it ties Nuzzi to “handlers” manipulating Kennedy—but frames it as proof of a coordinated hit.
She connects this to her theory that Israel might be pulling strings, citing Kennedy’s pro-Israel photo ops as evidence of pressure. Especially, connections to the controversial figure, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Mann’s outreach, per Owens, came after her March 10 episode revisiting Weinstein’s case, though no public statement from Mann confirms this.
What’s independently verifiable? Nuzzi’s affair with Kennedy is fact. There are court filings, her exit from New York Magazine, and Lizza’s sworn statements back it up. Mann’s role in Weinstein’s trial is well-documented; her testimony about a 2013 assault was pivotal in his 23-year sentence.
Though Owens’ claim that Mann contacted her, there are no recordings, messages, or statements from Mann to substantiate what was said, as of this article’s publishing. Owens’ Israel angle may just be speculation, unless more evidence is revealed.
Kennedy’s HHS tenure, launched after Trump’s 2024 win, focuses on health reform, not foreign policy, and no leaks or documents tie him to blackmail. Blogger Jessica Reed Kraus, whom Owens accuses Nuzzi of directing, has indeed criticized Owens and other conservatives like Tucker Carlson in 2025 on her Substack, House Inhabit, but no paper trail has been revealed that links Kraus to Nuzzi.
MAHA supporters see this as a Deep State attack on Kennedy, a Trump ally fighting Big Pharma. Owens’ podcast, with over a million views, paints Nuzzi as a liberal operative and Mann’s alleged tip as the smoking gun. Critics argue it’s thin—Mann hasn’t spoken publicly, and Owens hasn’t offered up any proof, as of yet.
The MAHA movement, tied to Kennedy’s HHS goals, remains a lightning rod, with creators like Ian Carroll amplifying Owens’ narrative of a “high-level” conspiracy. Without Mann breaking her silence or documents emerging, it’s a conservative rallying cry short on facts. Still, Owens vows to keep digging, and her base is listening.
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