Joe Kennedy III was reportedly "livid" when he learned of the Twitter interactions.Getty Images
Senator Markey's top campaign aide apologized for retweeting a message about the Kennedy family's mental health
As Representative Joe Kennedy III reportedly eyes a run against incumbent Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, the Senator’s top campaign adviser has apologized for retweeting a message that questions the mental health of the Kennedy family. Kennedy was said to be furious.
Read More: Joe Kennedy eyeing 2020 Senate run against incumbent Ed Markey
On August 18, James S. Henry, Esq tweeted:
@EdMarkey, co-author of the green new deal, is a great Senator. @joekennedy should focus on his family’s considerable mental health issues. https://t.co/Y8bGNJuUiG
— James S. Henry, Esq. (@submergingmkt) August 18, 2019
The drama ensued when Paul Tencher, the top campaign aide to Senator Markey, ‘liked’ and ‘retweeted’ Henry’s tweet.
Senator Paul Feeney called out Tencher:
Hey @PaulTencher I’m a big fan of both your boss and Joe Kennedy and the classy and humble way they both serve, but that retweet by you is gross, has no place and is a problem. You must know this deep down. #BeBetter
— Senator Paul Feeney (@PaulFeeneyMA) August 20, 2019
Less than 20 minutes later, Tencher replied to Senator Feeney, claiming his retweet was a mistake:
I absolutely take it back. It was a mistake and I would never have said something like this. My apologies. That tweet was despicable and abhorrent. This person should be banned from twitter.
— Paul Tencher (@paultencher) August 20, 2019
Similarly, Val Frias, who is the Executive Director at MA PFLAG, called Tencher out in her own tweet that included a screenshot of Tencher "disgraceful" retweet:
@paultencher is @edmarkey's top campaign aide. He needs to apologize for this. This retweet is disgraceful. The Senator should condemn this immediately. @jessbidgood @annielinskey @jmartnyt @vgmac @stephmurr_jour @dbernstein @tednesi @bostonjonas #mapoli pic.twitter.com/M3EBSeaTnb
— Val Frias (@FriasVal) August 20, 2019
Tencher replied to Frias’s tweet saying:
Hello it seemed you deleted my apology on your tweet. Thank you alerting me to my mistake. Again: I absolutely take it back. It was a mistake. My apologies. That tweet was despicable and abhorrent. This person should be banned from twitter.
— Paul Tencher (@paultencher) August 20, 2019
When another user, David S. Bernstein, came to Tencher's defense, Tencher replied:
Thank you David. I’m happy to have private conversations with anyone I might have offended. It was a mistake and I’m glad I was alerted to it so I could rectify it.
— Paul Tencher (@paultencher) August 20, 2019
Read More: Patrick Kennedy demands mental health be a priority after death of Saoirse
Rep. Kennedy and Senator Markey at a demonstration against Trump's immigration policies at Boston's Irish Famine Memorial in 2017 (Getty Images)
"Livid"
Joe Kennedy was reportedly “livid” about the Twitter altercation, The Boston Globe reports. The tweet about the Kennedy family's mental health came the same month Joe Kennedy was a pallbearer at his 22-year-old cousin Saoirse Kennedy Hill's funeral.
An aide to Kennedy confirmed to The Boston Globe that Senator Markey called Kennedy to apologize.
Senator Markey said in a statement to The Boston Globe: “To show such insensitivity for those experiencing mental health issues is extremely offensive to me.”
“This action by a member of my campaign is unacceptable. It in no way reflects my commitment to the issue of mental health treatment and the eradication of stigma that so many families suffer. I deeply apologize to Congressman Kennedy and his entire family.”