Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to a former family babysitter who accused him of sexual assault, US media report.
Mr Kennedy reportedly texted his apology to Eliza Cooney, shortly after her allegations were published in Vanity Fair magazine.
Ms Cooney accused the former environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist of groping her on several occasions in the late 1990s.
“I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings,” Mr Kennedy said according to screenshots of the text the woman shared with US media.
“I never intended you any harm. If I hurt you, it was inadvertent. I feel badly for doing so.”
The message was first reported on Friday by the Washington Post and Reuters, which said it had verified the message and linked the phone number it was sent from to Kennedy.
Mr Kennedy told the Post “the text message speaks for itself” declining to comment further. The BBC has contacted Mr Kennedy’s campaign for comment.
Ms Cooney was 23 at the time of the alleged assault and was working as a live-in babysitter to Mr Kennedy’s children and at the same time helping him with his legal work.
She told the Post that she found the message from Mr Kennedy “disingenuous and arrogant”.
“I’m not sure how somebody has a true apology for something that they don’t admit to recalling. I did not get a sense of remorse,” she said.
The Vanity Fair story included a number of allegations about the candidate, including that he ate dog meat during a trip abroad, had several extramarital affairs and vigorously defended a cousin, Michael Skakel, who was convicted of murdering a 15-year-old girl in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Mr Kennedy, the nephew of President John F Kennedy and son of Robert F Kennedy, called the story a “lot of garbage”.
He denied eating dog meat and shortly after the story came out he told a podcast: “I am not a church boy.”
“I had a very, very rambunctious youth,” he said. “I said in my announcement speech that I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world.”
He did not directly address the sexual assault allegations.
The BBC has contacted Ms Cooney for comment.