Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accused the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and progressive group MoveOn.org of hiring protesters to disrupt an event he spoke at in Los Angeles. Kennedy claims that some of the protesters admitted to being paid to attend the event and hold up disparaging signs against him. Amaryllis Fox, Kennedy’s daughter-in-law and campaign manager, stated that the protesters did not recognize Kennedy when shown a photo of him. MoveOn spokesman Joel Payne denied the allegations, calling them a “conspiracy theory.” He also expressed that protesters showing up at Kennedy’s events is not surprising, attributing it to a disapproval of Kennedy’s support base for Trump.
Fox shared photos of the protesters, some of whom covered their faces, and reported that one protester claimed to have taken the money because he is homeless. Kennedy’s campaign team asked the protesters if they were paid to be there, and they confirmed that they were. Fox also provided screenshots of an online job ad that she claims was related to an “anti-RFK Jr.” effort, involving in-person organizing and “bird-dogging” to counter “third-party threats.” Kennedy stated that the efforts to derail his campaign also include online trolls from Pakistan and Nigeria pretending to be American voters, whose comments frequently appear on posts by Biden and Harris.
Kennedy believes that the DNC is trying to remove his name from state ballots by utilizing various tactics, including hiring protesters and online trolling. While the DNC has not responded to these allegations, Kennedy accused Biden of using his campaign funds to prevent opponents like Kennedy from being on the ballot. The issue involves the DNC’s complaint to the Federal Elections Commission about the American Values 2024 Super Pac gathering signatures to put Kennedy on ballots in battleground states, which some states require the candidate to do themselves.
Kennedy expressed his desire to compete on a level playing field and criticized the DNC’s actions to prevent voters from choosing the candidate they prefer. He highlighted the irony of the DNC complaining about Vladimir Putin getting a high percentage of votes due to a lack of competition on the ballot, while simultaneously attempting to limit ballot access for alternative candidates like Kennedy. Despite facing challenges from protesters, online trolls, and legal complaints, Kennedy remains determined to continue his campaign and uphold democratic values.
