Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) over CNN’s debate rules, alleging that the network “colluded” with President Biden and former President Trump’s campaigns to keep him from the first scheduled presidential debate. June.
Kennedy’s complaint, filed on Wednesday, alleges that CNN along with Trump, Biden and their campaigns “collectively” engaged in “egregious” violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act for not featuring the independent candidate in the network’s June 27 debate to have.
“The violations occurred when, based on available evidence, CNN conspired with the Biden Commission and the Trump Commission to plan and schedule a debate with criteria designed to result in the selection of certain pre-selected participants, namely Biden and Trump. in a clear violation of federal campaign finance law,” Lorenzo Holloway, the independent candidate’s attorney, said in the complaint addressed to Lisa J. Stevenson, acting General Counsel of the FEC.
“CNN is making prohibited corporate contributions to both campaigns and the Biden Commission and the Trump Commission have accepted these prohibited corporate contributions,” he added.
Earlier this month, both Trump and Biden agreed to hold two debates, one hosted by CNN and the other by ABC, scheduled for September. The agreement also rejected the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has facilitated presidential debates since 1988.
CNN said the complaint was without merit because Kennedy has not yet met the network’s voting criteria and has not yet been given access to the ballots needed to win the White House bid.
“The law in virtually every state provides that the candidate of a state-recognized political party can enter the ballot box without filing a petition,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.
“As their parties’ presumptive nominees, both Biden and Trump will meet this demand,” the spokesperson said. “As an independent candidate, RFK Jr. that is not the case under applicable law.
“The mere request for access to ballots does not guarantee that he will appear on the ballot in any state. In addition, RFK Jr. does not currently meet our election criteria, which, like the other objective criteria, were established before the debate invitations were issued,” the CNN spokesperson said.
CNN stated that presidential candidates must poll at least 15 percent in four national polls and have their names on the ballot in enough states to receive 270 electoral votes, the minimum needed to win the Electoral College.
Kennedy’s campaign said it had submitted signatures to get on the ballot in nine states, most recently adding New York, which has 28 electoral votes.
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