The presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. severed a relationship with a vendor on Thursday for sending a fundraising email that called Jan. 6 uprising defendants “activists” who were “stripped of their constitutional liberties.”
The email resembled former President Donald Trump's efforts to whitewash the history of the Capitol violence as Congress prepared to certify President Joe Biden's 2020 victory. Trump has promised to pardon the rioters and campaigned on the attack.
That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedy’s views,” stated Kennedy spokesperson Stefanie Spear. Added by a new marketing contractor, it passed approval. The campaign ended this vendor's contract.”
The campaign wouldn't name the contractor. The Thursday fundraising pitch was titled “We Must Free Assange!” It demanded Julian Assange's release as the U.S. sought extradition over WikiLeaks' publishing of a massive confidential document collection. Since 2019, he has been in a high-security London prison after seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
Last Monday, a British court determined that Assange cannot be extradited without stronger U.S. guarantees that he won't be executed. “The Brits want to make sure our government doesn’t kill Assange,” Kennedy’s fundraising email added. This is the reality that every American citizen faces, from Ed Snowden to Julian Assange to the J6 activists in a Washington DC detention cell deprived of their Constitutional privileges.
Kennedy angered Democrats last week by saying Biden is a larger threat to democracy than Trump, echoing a Trump campaign claim. “I can make the argument that President Biden is the much worse threat to democracy, and that is because he is the first candidate and president to use federal agencies to censor political speech, so to censor his opponent,
Kennedy hopes his famous last name and anti-establishment ideas will help him overcome the enormous odds against third-party presidential contenders. He has a loyal following among Americans who feel ignored by both parties. His campaign has unnerved Biden and Trump fans about his impact on the race.
Only Utah has officially recognized Kennedy's ballot position. He claims he has enough signatures to qualify in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina, swing states, although elections officials have not validated that.
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