Kennedy Foe's Latest Woes
The candidate who began his campaign to unseat Sen. Edward M. Kennedy by issuing an embarrassing report detailing his own personal failures has steered himself into a new mess.
Jack E. Robinson III of Greenwich, Conn., was involved in a three-car accident earlier this year, and was accused of trying to leave the scene. The incident came just hours after he released an 11-page personal history that included allegations of drinking and driving, sexual misconduct, plagiarism and carrying an illegal weapon.
The Republican businessman was talking on his cell phone at the time of the accident, giving a radio interview about Gov. Paul Cellucci's decision to withdraw support for his campaign because of the allegations.
A 17-year-old motorist lost control of his southbound car and crossed into the northbound lanes, hitting Robinson's rented Cadillac and a 1993 Nissan. The teen was cited by police for speeding.
One of the other drivers thought Robinson was trying to flee the scene of an accident and chased him in her car, The Boston Globe reported. The newspaper did not identify the motorist. Robinson confirmed another driver had followed him but said he was only looking for a safe place to pull over when he drove about 100 yards past the accident scene.
The accident caused no injuries, but it left Robinson feeling like he was in the midst of a very, very bad luck streak.
"Boy, everything is happening to me," Robinson told the radio station moments after the squeal of tires and several thuds were heard. "Cellucci is withdrawing his support, and people are sliding across the highway at me."
Gov. Cellucci announced he would no longer support Robinson after the report was released.
"The sheer volume of the allegations and the disturbing nature of some of these allegations makes it pretty impossible for him to get this campaign off the ground," Cellucci said.
The Republican State Committee joined Cellucci in withdrawing support.
The report includes topics such as "Liquor," in which he expresses a preference for scotch, gin and brandy, and "Restraining Order," in which he defends himself against allegations made by a former girlfriend.
Robinson also discussed a driving arrest in the mid-1980s and a relationship that ended in a restraining order against him. Robinson said he was stopped by police in Boston after having a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.
While he was being searched, the officer found a "martial arts implement" in his coat. Robinson said he didn't know how it got there. A charge of carrying a dangerous weapon eventually was dismissed, and a breath-test showing only 0.04 did not lead to a drunken driving charge, he said.
As for the restraining order, Robinson said the woman he called Jane was upset because he wanted to break off their relationship and made up the sexual assault allegation against him.
"I am not a womanizer. am not a groper," Robinson said.
His dirty laundry list also includes flunking the bar exam twice in New York and once in Texas ("I didn't really study for them") and being accused of plagiarism (a court ruled against him and his book on Pan Am airlines was never released).
Kennedy spokesman Will Keyser declined to comment on Robinson's report or his candidacy. "The senator runs for an office, not against his opponent," he said.
"I think it's awfully tough to be introduced this way. The big advantage is, of course, he's running against Teddy Kennedy," Republican consultant Charley Manning said.
Kennedy, 68, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after a car he was driving plunged into the waters off Martha's Vineyard in 1969, killing Mary Jo Kopechne.
Another embarrassment came during the rape trial of his nephew William Kennedy Smith. According to testimony, the then-divorced senator had corralled his son and Smith to go drinking at a trendy Palm Beach nightclub the evening his nephew was later accused of raping a woman on the beach.