Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for president, has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) accusing CNN of working with Democratic President Joe Biden and the likely Republican nominee, Donald Trump, to keep him out of a debate the network is hosting in June.
In the stunning 15-page document, available online, Kennedy claims that the requirements to participate in the June 27 debate were set up to make sure only Biden and Trump would qualify, and he believes he is being held to an unfair standard compared to the other candidates.
In a letter to the FEC, Kennedy’s lawyer, Lorenzo Holloway, wrote, “CNN is making prohibited corporate contributions to both campaigns and the Biden committee and the Trump committee have accepted these prohibited corporate contributions.”
CNN has denied the complaint, saying it has no merit.
Earlier this month, Biden and Trump agreed to take part in the CNN debate and another one on September 10, which will be hosted by ABC. By doing this, they are skipping the nonpartisan commission that has organized presidential debates for nearly 40 years. The first debate will happen before Biden and Trump are officially nominated by their parties this summer.
Kennedy sees the debates as a unique chance to stand next to Biden and Trump, which would give his long-shot independent campaign credibility and convince people who might support him that he has a chance of winning. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns worry that he could take votes away from them.
To be invited to the debate, CNN has said that candidates must be on the ballot in states with at least 270 Electoral College votes, the minimum needed to win the presidency, and have at least 15% support in four reliable polls by June 20.
Kennedy still has time to meet these requirements, but the window is rapidly closing.
Kennedy’s campaign says he has submitted paperwork to appear on the ballot in nine states with a combined 171 electoral votes, but not all of them have confirmed he will be listed. California, which has the most electoral votes at 54, won’t certify any candidates until August 29.
A CNN spokesperson said that in most states, the nominees of recognized political parties are allowed on the ballot without needing to petition, which applies to Biden and Trump as the likely nominees of their parties. However, as an independent candidate, Kennedy does not automatically qualify under these laws, and simply applying for ballot access doesn’t guarantee he will appear on the ballot in any state.
The spokesperson also said that Kennedy hasn’t met the polling criteria yet.
Both Biden and Trump have easily met the polling requirements but won’t be officially certified for the ballot until their parties formally nominate them. They have both secured enough delegates to ensure their nominations.