During the December 15 broadcast of The Savage Nation, host Michael Savage asserted that upon Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's (D-NY) retirement from the U.S. Senate, "[t]he young Kennedy [John F. Kennedy Jr.] was supposed to run; if you remember, he died in a tragic plane crash." Moments later, Savage stated: “And to this day, people wonder why he died in a plane crash, and then suddenly, enter from the -- from stage left, the carpetbagger [Sen.] Hillary Clinton, who moved to Chappaquiddick [sic: Chappaqua], and next, you know, she's running for the presidency. That's a whole story that only a novelist could write. I can't write it.”

Savage made the comments while discussing reports that Caroline Kennedy has expressed interest in filling Clinton's Senate seat, should Clinton be confirmed as secretary of state.

As Media Matters for America has noted, on the January 31 broadcast of The Savage Nation, Savage asserted, “Look, [then-Sen. Barack] Obama's not getting the nomination. If he does, I wouldn't -- well, let me just stop right there. Think John F. Kennedy Jr. and the Hyannis -- and the airplane.”

In July 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and sister-in-law died in a plane crash en route to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for a wedding.

Talk Radio Network, which syndicates Savage's show, claims that Savage is heard on more than 350 radio stations. The Savage Nation reaches at least 8.25 million listeners each week, according to Talkers Magazine, making it one of the most listened-to talk radio shows in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.

From the December 15 broadcast of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

CALLER: Hey, I just wanted to -- to say I think it's a bit unusual that Caroline Kennedy is being brought up as a white woman to replace a white woman's seat, similar to Jesse Jackson Jr. being brought up to replace a black man's seat.

SAVAGE: Oh, I see. It's now done by ethnic and gender breakdown.

CALLER: That's what I'm asking. Are we no longer looking at potentially the best candidates or --

SAVAGE: No, no, no. We're looking at affirmative action candidates. They have to fill certain roles. I guess you're right. I guess that's a seat filled by the carpetbagger Hillary Clinton to begin with. You know that liberal seat was originally held by a white liberal senator named Patrick Moynihan. You know that?

CALLER: I did not know that. I --

SAVAGE: Yeah, see, that seat was classically the liberal senator from New York, and it was Patrick Moynihan, who was, by the way, a very balanced liberal. He was not one of these extreme left-wing whack jobs. He was extremely reasonable, Moynihan. The young Kennedy was supposed to run; if you remember, he died in a tragic plane crash. Do you remember that one?

CALLER: JFK Jr., absolutely.

SAVAGE: Thank you. And to this day, people wonder why he died in a plane crash, and then suddenly, enter from the -- from stage left, the carpetbagger Hillary Clinton, who moved to Chappaquiddick (sic: Chappaqua), and next you know, she's running for the presidency. That's a whole story that only a novelist could write. I can't write it. But now, you see, she's suddenly secretary of state and now they want to fill it with a shoo-in. Why shouldn't it go to a Puerto Rican or a black person rather than Caroline Kennedy? Huh?

Lauryn Bruck is an intern at Media Matters for America.