Los Angeles, California – The Democratic National Committee has filed a complaint against Robert F Kennedy Jr’s third-party presidential campaign and a supporting fund, accusing them of colluding in violation of federal campaign finance laws. Kennedy, son of the former attorney general and US senator who was assassinated in 1968, is attempting to get on the ballot in at least 10 states.
The complaint alleges that the American Values 2024 Pac, a political action committee supporting Kennedy, provided $10m to $15m in in-kind contributions to his campaign, violating federal finance laws. The Pac is supported by Tim Mellon, a Donald Trump campaign donor who has pumped $15m into its coffers. Kennedy and his Team Kennedy campaign are accused of coordinating with the Super Pac in a way that violates federal campaign finance laws.
In response to the complaint, Kennedy’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, dismissed the allegations as a nonissue raised by a partisan political entity that seems to be increasingly concerned with its own candidate and viability. She stated that the campaign had not received any signatures from American Values Pac or any other Pac, and that the campaign had avoided providing any information not available to every volunteer and media outlet on their public website.
The complaint was filed on the same day that Democrats began furious counterattacks on the justice department special counsel Robert Hur over parts of a report into highly sensitive government documents found in Joe Biden’s garage. The report described the president as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
DNC officials expressed concerns that Kennedy, 70, might win the support of swing state voters as Biden’s age (81) and mental acuity becomes a significant re-election issue. Meanwhile, Trump, 77, has had a similar amount of public gaffes, and a notable NBC News poll published on Sunday found Trump holds the edge with voters on the issue of having the necessary mental and physical health to be president.
The ongoing battle between the DNC, Kennedy’s campaign, and American Values 2024 Pac raises questions about the entanglement of political action committees and third-party campaigns, bringing the spotlight on potential violations of federal campaign finance laws. It also underscores the potential impact on the 2024 election and the broader implications for campaign funding and regulation. As the allegations and responses continue, the outcome of this dispute could shape the landscape of future political campaigns and financial regulations.