President Biden appointed grandson of Robert F. Kennedy for the post of special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs.
As reported in the press release of US Department of StateJoseph Kennedy III will focus on promoting economic development and investment opportunities in the region while strengthening ties between the United States and Northern Ireland.
Joseph Kennedy III, son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy, gestures as he visits voters outside a polling place at a school in Needham, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. Kennedy, 31, is running for To the House of Representatives, which is releasing the representative of the Democratic Party of the United States, Barney Frank. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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Kennedy served eight years in the House of Representatives, worked as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts, and was a Peace Corps volunteer.
“He will use his wealth of experience to support economic growth in Northern Ireland and to deepen US engagement with all communities,” the release said. “At the same time, US diplomats in Europe and Washington will continue to engage with political leaders in efforts to restore executive power to Northern Ireland and resolve differences over the Northern Ireland Protocol.”
While the Biden administration is painting the appointment of Kennedy to strengthen ties between the US and Northern Irelandothers see it as a move to interfere in negotiations between the European Union and Britain.
Biden gave a speech full of mistakes in Delaware on Friday.
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The appointment also comes at a time when tensions are high between Washington and London over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which will dictate trade rules.
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There are also fears that Kennedy’s record as a pro-Irish party will impair his ability to remain fair and honest in his new role.
“I think this is a very disruptive move by the Biden White House,” Neil Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Freedom Center, told Fox News. “Former Congressman Joe Kennedy has a long track record of pro-Irish nationalist statements and he will not appear here as an honest broker or a neutral figure, and for good reason. Sinn Féin is already delighted with the news as it knows what it’s like to have a key ally in this position.”
Sinn Fein is an Irish republican and democratic socialist party with which Kennedy is reportedly affiliated.
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“This is a stunningly bad decision by President Biden, which will lead to a huge distrust of any involvement by the Biden administration in Northern Ireland,” Gardiner added. “Biden has stabbed Britain in the back again, and in making this appointment he is deliberately slapping Northern Ireland’s unionists in the face.”
