Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. (left), meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Moscow, Feb. 5, 1986. The man at center is a Russian interpreter.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. (left), meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Moscow, Feb. 5, 1986. The man at center is a Russian interpreter. Credit: AP

During the “Greg Gutfeld Show” on Fox News on July 15, Gutfeld said Ted Kennedy met “with the KGB in order to beat Ronald Reagan in 1984.”

Our ruling

Gutfeld said that Kennedy met with the KGB in order to defeat Ronald Reagan in 1984. There is certainly evidence that Kennedy attempted to meet with Soviet officials, but it was with the approval of the Reagan White House.

The validity of a specific KGB memo saying Kennedy wanted to de-escalate tensions with Moscow over a U.S. plan to install nuclear missiles in Western Europe is widely questioned.

But more to the point, Gutfeld reached one conclusion that doesn’t add up. There is no evidence of Kennedy “meeting with the KGB.” The evidence Gutfeld used on screen doesn’t support that contention.

We rate this claim False.

To read the full fact check, go to politifact.com.