{"id":1030536,"date":"2024-04-04T23:09:16","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T23:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1030536"},"modified":"2024-05-10T16:41:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T16:41:48","slug":"reality-check-rfk-jr-cant-disown-his-extremism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/reality-check-rfk-jr-cant-disown-his-extremism\/","title":{"rendered":"REALITY CHECK: RFK Jr. Can\u2019t \u201cDisown\u201d His Extremism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Today, in a fundraising email to supporters, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s campaign lauded <\/strong>January 6th insurrectionists and called them \u201cactivists\u201d who have been \u201cstripped of their Constitutional liberties.\u201d<\/strong><\/a> After NBC<\/em> reported the email, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s campaign quickly tried to \u201cdisown\u201d<\/strong><\/a> it and deny responsibility despite the fact that the email aligns with his views and past comments about pardoning insurrectionists<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>President Biden being a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response<\/em>, DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni released the following statement:<\/em><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one big problem here for RFK Jr. as he tries to disown his campaign\u2019s embrace of January 6th insurrectionists – it captures his views perfectly. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed RFK Jr.\u2019s candidacy: he\u2019s spent the week claiming that President Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump; he\u2019s being propped up by Trump\u2019s biggest donor; and he\u2019s been praised by the likes of Steve Bannon. What is surprising is that RFK Jr. and his campaign believe that everyone would be naive enough to look the other way when he spouts more MAGA talking points.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr\u2019s support of January 6th insurrectionists:   <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On two occasions, RFK Jr. Said he would be open to pardoning January 6th rioters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: The <\/strong>Washington Post<\/strong> Reported That RFK Jr. Said He Would Consider Pardoning People Convicted In Connection To January 6. <\/strong>\u201cAs president, would you pardon or consider pardoning people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol?  Maybe. Kennedy said he would consider pardoning people convicted in connection to Jan. 6. In response to The Post\u2019s questionnaire, Kennedy said, \u2018If prosecutorial malfeasance is demonstrated, then yes. Otherwise, no.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News<\/a>: Asked About Pardoning January 6 Rioters, RFK Jr. Said, \u201cI Would Take A Look At Those Cases.\u201d <\/strong>CAVUTO: \u201cHe wants to pardon and thought it would be a good idea to pardon any of the January 6 rioters if elected. What do you think of that?\u201d KENNEDY: \u201cI would not comment on that. I — that’s not — that’s not something that I would comment on until I was president of the United States. I would take a look at those cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: Asked Again If He Would Extend His Use Of Pardon Power To Those Who Were Jailed After Rioting On January 6, RFK Jr. Said He Would \u201cLook At Individual Cases.\u201d <\/strong>\u201c\u2018I would pardon people,\u2019 Kennedy said. \u2018I intend to use the pardon power, and I intend to use it very quickly in office. I\u2019m going to pardon Julian Assange. I\u2019m going to pardon Edward Snowden. I may pardon Ross Ulbricht if I find that his prosecution was, that his sentence, his very lengthy sentence, was the result of making an example of him in order to punish Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.\u2019 Cavuto then asked if he would extend that to those who rioted on Jan. 6 and are in jail. \u2018I would look at individual cases,\u2019 Kennedy said.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr.\u2019s Communications Director Del Bigtree spoke at a \u201cMAGA Freedom Rally\u201d a block from the Capitol on January 6th.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN<\/a>: Del Bigtree Spoke At The \u201cMAGA Freedom Rally D.C\u201d On January 6<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong>, Which Was Held About A Block From The Capitol. <\/strong>\u201cAs the Trump faithful gathered around the Capitol on January 6, two conspiracy theories peddling in government mistrust converged: The fraudulent belief that the election was stolen, and the dangerous narrative that Covid-19 vaccinations are wildly unsafe.  \u2018We\u2019re being led off of a cliff,\u2019 Del Bigtree, an anti-vaccine activist, told the crowd at the \u2018MAGA Freedom Rally D.C.\u2019 about a block from the Capitol.  \u2018I wish I could tell you that Tony Fauci cares about your safety\u2026\u2019 he said. \u2018I wish I could believe that voting machines worked\u2026 but none of this is happening.\u2019  In the wake of Trump\u2019s electoral defeat, some leaders of the anti-vaccine movement latched onto the \u2018Stop the Steal\u2019 crusade, advancing their own conspiratorial claims and, in some cases, promoting private business ventures, CNN has found. Some prominent anti-vaxxers say they directly coordinated with organizers of the DC rallies in January and pushed their message at other MAGA demonstrations, and on pro-Trump podcasts and social media platforms.  The anti-vaccine message may have found a particularly receptive audience among some fervent Trump supporters, many of whom flout wearing masks and contend the lethality of the virus is overblown\u2026 The rally at the US Capitol featuring Bigtree, advertised as \u2018The MAGA Health Freedom Event of the Century,\u2019 included other notable vaccine conspiracy theorists such as Mikki Willis, the filmmaker behind \u2018Plandemic,\u2019 which falsely suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was responsible for the creation of the coronavirus.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal Planet<\/a>: RFK Jr. Comms Director Del Bigtree Promoted 2020 Election Conspiracies, Claiming At A January 6<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> Rally That The Country Was \u201cBeing Led Off Of A Cliff,\u201d Adding That \u201cI Wish I Could Believe That Voting Machines Worked\u2026 But None Of This Is Happening.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cHere\u2019s what we know about the campaign\u2019s chief communicator. Del Bigtree is an LA-based producer of conspiracy theory content. He leads the Informed Consent Action Network, or ICAN, a well-funded advocacy group that spreads vaccine misinformation, including baseless claims that childhood vaccines cause autism. He hosts the group\u2019s podcast, \u2018the Highwire,\u2019 and he produced the 2016 pseudo-documentary \u2018Vaxxed.\u2019  He\u2019s dabbled in election denial. He told the crowd at the \u2018MAGA Freedom Rally D.C.\u2019 near the Capitol on Jan. 6, \u2018we\u2019re being led off of a cliff.\u2019  \u2018I wish I could tell you that [Anthony] Fauci cares about your safety\u2026\u2019 he said. \u2018I wish I could believe that voting machines worked\u2026 but none of this is happening.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 2024: RFK Jr.\u2019s campaign sent out a fundraising email that supported January 6th defendants.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: RFK Jr.\u2019s Campaign Sent Out A Fundraising Email That Referred To Jan. 6 Defendants As \u201cActivists\u201d Who Have Been \u201cStripped Of Their Constitutional Liberties.\u201d <\/strong>\u201cThe campaign of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent out with a fundraising email Thursday referring to Jan. 6 defendants as \u2018activists\u2019 who have been \u2018stripped of their Constitutional liberties,\u2019 echoing former President Donald Trump\u2019s rhetoric about the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.  In the appeal sent to supporters, signed by \u2018Team Kennedy,\u2019 the campaign called for the exoneration of \u2018political prisoner Julian Assange,\u2019 the founder of WikiLeaks, suggesting he and Jan. 6 defendants are victims of prosecutorial abuse.  \u2018This is the reality that every American Citizen faces \u2014 from Ed Snowden, to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties. Please help our campaign call out the illiberal actions of our very own government,\u2019 the fundraising email read.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: Hours Later, Campaign Spokesperson Stephanie Spear Said The Statement Was \u201cAn Error That Does Not Reflect Mr. Kennedy\u2019s Views\u201d And Claimed \u201cIt Was Inserted By A New Marketing Contractor And Slipped Through The Normal Approval Process.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cAfter publication of this piece, Kennedy spokesperson Stephanie Spear told NBC News that the language was an \u2018error.\u2019  \u2018That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedy\u2019s views. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process,\u2019 she said.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, in a fundraising email to supporters, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s campaign lauded January 6th insurrectionists and called them \u201cactivists\u201d who have been \u201cstripped of their Constitutional liberties.\u201d After NBC reported the email, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s campaign quickly tried to \u201cdisown\u201d it and deny responsibility despite the fact that the email aligns with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1030536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nREALITY CHECK: RFK Jr. Can\u2019t \u201cDisown\u201d His Extremism - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/reality-check-rfk-jr-cant-disown-his-extremism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-04T23:09:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-10T16:41:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/reality-check-rfk-jr-cant-disown-his-extremism\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/reality-check-rfk-jr-cant-disown-his-extremism\/\",\"name\":\"REALITY CHECK: RFK Jr. Can\u2019t \u201cDisown\u201d His Extremism - 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