Robert F Kennedy Jr has faced allegations of voter fraud in the recent presidential election. It is claimed that he voted using an address in New York that a court had previously deemed as not his actual residence.
Left-leaning watchdog group Accountable.US has filed a complaint that could potentially complicate Kennedy’s confirmation as health and human services secretary under Donald Trump’s administration. The complaint adds an additional layer of scrutiny that Kennedy is likely to face during his Senate hearing.
The watchdog has filed a complaint with the New York State Board of Elections, urging them to investigate Kennedy for registering and voting from an address where he does not reside.
According to the complaint, the New York statute states that anyone who intentionally provides a false residence within the election district when registering as an elector is committing a felony.
According to the report, Kennedy cast his vote through a mail-in ballot from an address in Katonah, located approximately 45 miles away from New York City. This particular address was the subject of a state court ruling regarding Kennedy’s eligibility to be listed as a presidential candidate on the New York ballot.
A New York judge upheld a legal challenge from another watchdog group last August, stating that Kennedy had falsely listed the address as his residential home to gain ballot access.
Kennedy argued that he had rented a room at the address from a childhood friend. However, this argument was weakened by the testimony of the friend’s spouse, who stated that Kennedy had only spent one night there. The complaint suggested that Kennedy actually resides in California.
The US Supreme Court later upheld the New York ruling that excluded Kennedy from the state ballot, after the candidate made several appeals.
The complaint states that Mr. Kennedy, the defendant in this case, was well aware of the verdicts that established him as a non-legal resident of the Katonah address. Despite this undeniable knowledge, Mr. Kennedy proceeded to cast his vote from the property. By knowingly voting from a residence that multiple New York courts had already deemed as not his legal residence, Mr. Kennedy flagrantly violated the New York election law.
Kennedy, a former Democrat, faced numerous attempts to prevent him from appearing on state ballots. However, he eventually decided to suspend his independent presidential campaign and offered his endorsement to Trump in August of last year.
After joining Trump’s campaign, Kennedy took legal action against state election boards in several battleground states. His objective was to have his name removed from the ballot, as he believed his presence could potentially cost Trump important votes and benefit Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
After winning the election, Trump selected Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, despite concerns about his controversial stance on vaccines. Kennedy has been known to promote debunked conspiracy theories on this topic.
Some Republicans are also doubtful of Kennedy’s nomination due to his previous endorsement of abortion.
Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountability.US, is urging senators to take into consideration Kennedy’s election behavior before making a decision on his confirmation.
In a statement to Politico, the critic expressed concerns about RFK Jr’s disregard for the law in his personal affairs and questioned his ability to uphold the law in matters of public health. The critic urged senators to question Kennedy about his intentions to adhere to his own rules and show defiance towards the law as the HHS secretary.
