Jesse Watters defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hazardous swim in Washington D.C.’s Rock Creek Tuesday, arguing that the polluted water was likely safe because it looked “clean.”
“That creek looks clean. It doesn’t look like it is filled with sewage,” Watters said during a Tuesday segment of The Five while unpacking Kennedy’s weekend dip in the creek the National Park Service has deemed hazardous to human health.
“I have seen Pete Hegseth swim miles and miles in a speedo in the Hudson River which you can’t even see through. This you can see right through. I think it‘s fine,” he continued, as co-host Marie Harf briefly interjected to say the water looked “pretty brown actually.”
Kennedy posted a series of photos of himself and his family members swimming in the creek to celebrate Mother’s Day Sunday.
“Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,” the health secretary wrote on X, alongside photos of himself including one submerged in the water.
Rock Creek has been flagged a “hazard to human (and pet) health” by the National Park Service due to “high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens.” Bacteria is microbial and cannot be seen with a naked eye.
“Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health. Please protect yourself and your pooches by staying on trails and out of the creek. All District waterways are subject to a swim ban—this means wading, too,” a warning from the Park Service states.
“Swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels,” it adds. “Stay out of the water to protect streambanks, plants and animals and keep you and your family (including pets!) safe from illness.”
Meanwhile, Watters’ co-host on The Five Greg Gutfeld recognized the water’s subpar quality but seemed more enthused by Kennedy’s shenanigans to begin with.
“We asked him to drain the swamp, not swim in it, but at least he has all of his vaccinations,” Gutfeld said with a laugh. “ I love this guy. He is what we used to call in the old days an eccentric. He has lived like 12 lives at once. He doesn’t drink anymore but he didn’t quit drinking, the alcohol quit him.”
