The Democratic National Committee has accused a Super PAC backing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of violating campaign finance regulations.
In a complaint filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, the DNC said the American Values 2024 committee “failed to properly disclose $10 million in loans from, and $9.65 million in loan repayments to, Gavin de Becker in violation of federal law,” a press release states. De Becker is a private security executive, and the loan funding may have led the public to believe the organization had more funding than it actually has, the DNC said.
Monday’s complaint was the second the DNC has filed against American Values 2024. The DNC also alleged on Feb. 9 the Kennedy campaign was running an “illegal ballot access scheme” to garner enough signatures to get a spot on some states’ ballots in November.
The DNC has been trying to undercut Kennedy’s campaign and showcase his relationships with donors who have previously backed Republicans, CNN reported. American Values 2024 and the Kennedy campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
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Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, “Bobby” F. Kennedy Jr. is making an independent bid for president in the 2024 election. American Values 2024, the group supporting him, recently announced they had gathered enough signatures to get Kennedy on the ballot in Arizona.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is widely seen as unlikely to win this year’s presidential race, which is shaping up to pit former President Donald Trump against President Joe Biden.
Kennedy originally launched his candidacy as a Democrat but switched in October to run as an independent. That meant he could skip a primary challenge against Biden, who has commanded a strong majority of support from his party in the ongoing nomination contest, and proceed directly to the general election.
Kennedy’s candidacy could tip the contest one way or another, especially in a swing state like Arizona, where Biden won by less than half of a percentage point in 2020.
