Ted Kennedy caused the death of a woman at a bridge.
Posted by The Kuhner Report, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 92%
The Kuhner ReportOct 24, 2026
Multiple reliable sources report that Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island on July 18, 1969, and that his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned, so the claim that he caused her death at a bridge is supported. The post's word "murderer" is rhetoric and is not graded; the claim itself only asserts causing the death.
What was said
… I mean, who the hell would vote for a guy like Chris Pappas? And seriously, Scott, what has Chris Pappas ever done for the state of New Hampshire? See, this is, to me, what's changed. Look, I couldn't stand Kennedy, Ted Kennedy. He's a murderer. He killed that woman off that bridge, but Kennedy delivered the bacon. I mean, you know, you needed a bridge, he got the money for you. You needed a school, you needed a road, you needed a highway, whatever. Okay, Kennedy brought home the bacon. …
The Kuhner Report · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP and Reuters both report that Kennedy drove off a narrow bridge on Chappaquiddick Island and that his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned.[1][2]
Supports. The Washington Post and USA Today describe the crash as causing the death of the young woman riding with the senator.[3][5]
Supports. The BBC reports Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident in which a young aide died, and Britannica describes Kopechne drowning after Kennedy drove off a bridge.[4][6]
Context. Kennedy was later convicted only of leaving the scene and received a suspended sentence, and he said he tried to rescue Kopechne, but these details do not contradict that the crash caused her death.[2][6]
Context. The claim matches the post's own account, in which "he killed that woman off that bridge" refers to Kennedy, so the extraction is faithful.
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 2 not rated
- 1Review: 'Chappaquiddick' examines the ripples of a scandalapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2'Chappaquiddick' movie revisits 1969 Ted Kennedy scandalreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3Opinion | CHAPPAQUIDDICK, 1989 - The Washington Postwashingtonpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4How a fatal accident ended Ted Kennedy's presidential hopes - BBCbbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 550 years ago, Ted Kennedy veered off a Chappaquiddick bridge and caused a woman's deathusatoday.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Chappaquiddick incidentbritannica.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post