The daughter-in-law of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is stepping down from two of her three government roles in part because of the war with Iran, a new report claims.
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, an ex-CIA officer, told her colleagues earlier this month that she plans to leave her roles this coming Friday, The Washington Post reports. The outlet spoke to five people who confirmed her decision, including one who said the decision was partially driven by her disagreement with President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
Kennedy serves as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Policy and Capabilities and the Associate Director for Intelligence and International Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. She’s also a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
Kennedy, who is married to Robert F. Kennedy III, told colleagues she wants to remain a member of the intelligence advisory board and is planning to leave her other two roles, according to an email reviewed by The Post, which did not mention Iran.
“Being a mom is God’s greatest gift, and after two years on the campaign trail and a year serving in this extraordinary Administration, I have to make sure my family has all it needs,” she wrote.
The White House did not comment and referred The Independent to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Management and Budget.
In a statement shared with The Independent, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she’s “grateful to Amaryllis Fox Kennedy for her leadership and exceptional service as both the Deputy DNI for Policy and Capabilities and as Associate Director for Intelligence and International Affairs for OMB.”
“Amaryllis took the reins of P&C, spearheading the development of P&C 2.0 and setting a bold vision for the future. Under her leadership, we successfully aligned the Intelligence Community agencies with the Administration’s and ODNI’s goals, driving a unified approach to our mission,” Gabbard said.
“While Amaryllis will be leaving her positions at ODNI and OMB to spend more time with her young children, she will continue to support our nation’s Intelligence Community as a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board,” she added.
Kennedy managed her father-in-law’s 2024 presidential campaign before he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.
Trump briefly considered Kennedy for the CIA’s deputy director position after the 2024 election but ultimately decided against it after some Republicans expressed concern that she would make significant changes to the agency, The Post reported at the time. Michael Ellis serves as the agency’s deputy director.
From 2002 to 2010, Kennedy was at the CIA, where her work focused on preventing terror groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. She’s also held multiple roles at artificial intelligence and technology companies.
Her decision to step down comes about two months after National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned over the war with Iran.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent wrote in an X post announcing his departure.
Kent has since drawn Trump’s ire, with the president calling him a “sleazebag” and accusing of him of “disloyalty” in a Truth Social post last month.
