RFK Jr. and journalist Olivia Nuzzi have reportedly developed a “personal relationship”

new York The magazine said it had placed one of its reporters on leave after she entered into “a personal relationship with a former 2024 election-related contact,” who CNN reported was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A spokesperson for the magazine issued a statement on Thursday, September 19, saying Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi recently “admitted to the magazine's editors” that she entered into the relationship “while covering the campaign,” which was “a violation of the magazine's standards regarding conflicts of interest and disclosures.”

“If the magazine had known about this relationship, it would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the spokesman added.

Nuzzi, 31, said in a statement to PEOPLE that “the nature of some communications” between her and “a former reporting subject became personal,” but added that she “neither reported directly on the individual nor used him or her as a source” during that time.

“The relationship was never physical, but it should have been disclosed to avoid the appearance of a conflict,” she said. “I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I have disappointed, especially my colleagues in New York.”

Neither the magazine nor Nuzzi identified the person she had a relationship with, but a source with knowledge of the incident told CNN that Nuzzi was linked to Kennedy, 70, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in August before endorsing former President Donald Trump.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

PEOPLE has contacted Kennedy, who did not respond to a text message and a phone call seeking comment. PEOPLE has also reached out to Kennedy's wife, Cheryl Hines, for comment.

A representative of the politician told the WashingtonPost in a statement that Kennedy only new York She was once contacted by the reporter for an article that the outlet said was her November 2023 story: “The Mind-Distorting Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign.”

“Mr. Kennedy met Olivia Nuzzi only once in his life for an interview she requested, which resulted in a defamatory article,” the representative said, according to the WashingtonPost.

According to CNN, Nuzzi has since published several articles about the 2024 campaign and presidential race. She has also referenced Kennedy in recent coverage, including a June article saying Kennedy should have been allowed to participate in a debate with Trump and President Joe Biden and another opinion piece in March criticizing the media for its coverage of Kennedy. WashingtonPost.

The reporter also had a cameo appearance as herself in a 2022 episode Billions and is host of the Bloomberg original series Working Capital with Olivia Nuzzi.

new York The magazine said Nuzzi was “on leave” even though “an internal review of her published work” found “neither inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.” The magazine added that it was “conducting a more thorough third-party review.”

The magazine also apologized to its audience, saying: “We regret this breach of trust by our readers.”