Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s raspy voice was on full display when his high-stakes confirmation hearing got underway Wednesday — as lawmakers grilled President Trump’s controversial pick to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, 71, has long suffered from a rare neurological condition known as spasmodic dysphonia.
The quiver-like voice disorder, which has affected the Kennedy scion for decades, essentially can cause certain muscles in the voice box to spasm — making a person sound strained, or strangled, at times.
Questions about the condition have peaked of late as Kennedy ramped up public appearances and interviews ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.
The interest even led Dysphonia International, an association for rare voice conditions, to dedicate an entire section on its website to him, titled: “What is Wrong with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Voice?”
Kennedy, on his part, has spoken at length about his condition — with his symptoms dating back to the mid 90s.
“I have a tremble in my voice … particularly when I first start talking,” Kennedy said in an interview on “The Diane Rehm Show” back in 2004.
The lawyer-turned-politician has previously noted that he went from being able to address “large halls without any amplification” to having a tremor in his voice.
“I think it makes it problematic for people to listen to me,” he said during a town hall last year amid his failed presidential campaign. “I cannot listen to myself on TV.”
Kennedy has, in the past, had Botox injections on his vocal chords in a bid to treat the condition.
The disorder, which is found more in women than men, is believed to affect roughly 500,000 people across North America.
Researchers say it is still unclear what causes spasmodic dysphonia and there is no known cure but it typically occurs in those who are middle-aged.
