WASHINGTON -- A representative of Robert F Kennedy Jr has denied any connection between US President-elect Donald Trump's health secretary nominee and the far-right Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu.
The response followed days of intense speculation that RFK Jr would travel to Romania to support Georgescu in Sunday's decisive presidential election runoff.
Meanwhile, the alleged RFK Jr endorsement sparked a furor as it matches the same sophisticated social media campaign tactics that propelled the ultra-nationalist candidate from obscurity to the top of the race, earning him the label of TikTok Messiah.
"Mr Kennedy does not support Mr Georgescu, it would be against American law for him to support a candidate before an election campaign. It is a serious violation, and he would not do such a thing," said Blake Fleetwood, a long-time friend of RFK Jr.
Fleetwood added: "He appreciates publishing his books anywhere in the world, but he does not support any political party or candidate. Any rumors to that effect are false."
"No. He was never going to come to Romania, that would be showing his support for Mr Georgescu. He is very busy with President Trump, working in Florida and was never going to go to Romania," clarified Kennedy's representative when asked about speculations regarding RFK Jr's arrival in Romania.
"He does not support Mr Georgescu in any way in the presidential race," Fleetwood insisted.
The allegations were based on Georgescu writing the preface for the Romanian version of RFK Jr's book on COVID-19, suggesting that RFK Jr might travel to Bucharest for its launch alongside Georgescu. This notion was further fueled by pro-Georgescu communications presenting this preface as part of an international edition.
An endorsement from RFK Jr could have seemingly elevated Georgescu's status globally ahead of the election run-off. The social media campaign was amplified by pro-Georgescu media in Romania, with one news channel announcing a partnership with an alleged Kennedy Jr-Georgescu event moderated by US journalist Tucker Carlson.
"I relayed that it's not ok for him to come now. I want an honest vote without any help from abroad," said Georgescu after initially hinting at potential collaboration with Kennedy Jr during earlier interviews.