Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has hired Gavin de Becker, a top security consultant, as he prepares to pursue civil litigation and even seek criminal charges related to allegations that he had an inappropriate "personal relationship" with the New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi.

In a conversation with Substack writer Jessica Reed Kraus, who's close to Mr. Kennedy, Mr. de Becker confirmed he's advising the former presidential candidate on the matter.

Ms. Reed Kraus, one of the most popular writers on Substack who regularly traveled with the Kennedy campaign, also said in her HouseInhabit newsletter that Ms. Nuzzi was aggressively pursuing Mr. Kennedy to get attention.

According to Ms. Reed Kraus, Ms. Nuzzi started her advances towards Mr. Kennedy by making a "flirtatious remark" to him during a conversation on the phone after her profile of him was published. Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Kraus writes, declined Ms. Nuzzi's multiple requests for personal meetups.

Mr. DeBecker, who also handles Elon Musk's security, told Ms. Reed Kraus that, "This had nothing to do with romance. He was being chased by porn." Mr. de Becker told Ms. Reed Kraus that Mr. Kennedy has hired his security firm to investigate the matter to prepare for ammunition in potential civil and criminal litigation.

Mr. de Becker also said Mr. Kennedy had repeatedly declined multiple invitations from Ms. Nuzzi for personal meetings beyond the one time they met when she profiled him in an article his representatives would characterize as "a hit job."

Ms. Reed Kraus further writes that Mr. Kennedy had repeatedly blocked Ms. Nuzzi's number and email address during the eight months after her profile on him was published in the pages of New York magazine, save a few times when she used different numbers and email addresses, or when she lured him into unblocking her with promises of important information relevant to his campaign..

Officials for de Becker's security firm did not immediately return requests for comment from The New York Sun.

But a counternarrative has emerged in Washington, which is convulsed by fascination over the story: that Mr. Kennedy was complicit in Ms. Nuzzi's advances.

The The Daily Beast reported on Saturday that Ms. Nuzzi's boss at New York Magazine, David Haskell, was informed that Mr. Kennedy had been bragging that he had salacious photos of the reporter and that they were in a romantic relationship.

Dylan Byers wrote in his Puck newsletter that Ms. Nuzzi has sent "demure" nude photos to Mr. Kennedy.