Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is embroiled in controversy following a Vanity Fair exposé. The article alleges Kennedy once ate a barbecued dog, citing a 2010 photo where he is seen holding a charred carcass, which a veterinarian identified as a dog. Kennedy vehemently denies the claim, asserting the animal was a goat consumed during a trip to Patagonia. The article also includes accusations of Kennedy's past substance abuse and sexual misconduct, including an incident where he allegedly groped a babysitter in 1998. Kennedy has dismissed the article as 'garbage' and accused Vanity Fair of poor journalistic standards, maintaining that the media is attempting to distract from more pressing national issues.