He got a bit of a pass because he was the brother of two WWII war heroes at a time when there was still a lot of WWII veterans and citizens who lived through WWII and respected the hero status of his brothers. At the same time, he was the brother of two beloved brothers who had been assassinated, one who was President and one who had a good chance of becoming President. For some, these were not excuses, but it puts in perspective of why many showed an understanding of why he became an out of control alcoholic that deserved some leniency. He was the lone brother who had escaped early death from assassinations or war.