RFK Jr. files complaint over potential exclusion from debate stage

The presidential campaign of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission about Kennedy’s potential exclusion from a planned June 27 debate on CNN between President Biden and former president Donald Trump.

In the complaint, filed Tuesday, Kennedy’s campaign alleges that Biden, Trump, their respective campaigns and CNN “colluded” to leave Kennedy off the debate stage. The complaint also alleges that CNN’s decision to hold the debate could be tantamount to the network making “prohibited corporate contributions” to Biden and Trump’s campaigns and thus violate the Federal Election Campaign Act — a claim met with dubiousness by one campaign finance expert.

Kennedy’s campaign is asking the FEC to act no later than June 20 to prevent the debate from taking place “until the Parties have come into compliance with the Federal Election Campaign Act,” to impose any appropriate fines and provide other remedies as necessary.