Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has apologized for a political advertisement.
The ad, which played at the Super Bowl, closely resembled a video created for his uncle – President John F. Kennedy – during his 1960 presidential campaign. Members of the Kennedy family condemned the advertisement.
“I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain,” said Kennedy in a statement on X. "The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign.”
“FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff,” he continued. “I love you all. God bless you.”
American Values spent a reported $7 million on the 30-second ad. During the video, a singer asks “Do you want a man for president who is seasoned through and through?” as pictures of the environmental lawyer flash alongside the phrase “Vote Independent.” Kennedy had the ad pinned to the top of his feed on X as of the afternoon. Our momentum is growing. It’s time for an Independent President to heal the divide in our country. 🇺🇸#Kennedy24 pic.twitter.com/6rwXW3AwAp
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 12, 2024
Relatives of Kennedy, many of whom have openly opposed his campaign and his skepticism of certain vaccinations, came out against the ad.
“My cousin’s Super Bowl ad used our uncle’s faces- and my Mother’s. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views,” Bobby Shriver, a cousin of the independent candidate and the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, wrote on X. “Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA.”
Shriver's brother, Mark Shriver, voiced his support for his brother’s message.
The co-founder of the American Values 2024 PAC, Tony Lyons, is standing by the advertisement.
"The panicked DC power brokers are working overtime to keep Kennedy off the ballot because they know he can and will end their culture of greed and corruption," Lyons told Fox News Digital. "They offer us soaring inflation, forever wars, and chronic disease. RFK Jr. offers us real change along with freedom, trust and hope. Like his uncle and his father, Kennedy is a corruption fighter, and it's no wonder the [Democratic National Committee] is trying every old trick and inventing new tricks to stop him. The public sees through it all and won’t stand for it."
The DNC accused RFK’s campaign on Feb. 9 of illegally coordinating with American Values 2024 in order to ensure his name appeared on the ballot in certain states. In its official complaint to the Federal Elections Commission, the DNC accused the campaign of accepting "in-kind contributions to assist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy” from the PAC “in violation of federal law.”
“As an independent candidate, Mr. Kennedy must satisfy certain conditions for his name to be included on the official ballot printed in each state. Mr. Kennedy has stated that his goal is to appear on the ballot ‘in all 50 states and DC,’” the complaint states. “Mr. Kennedy and his campaign have also stated that this process is challenging and expensive Rather than solving this problem by raising the necessary funds consistent with federal law, Mr. Kennedy and his campaign are trying to take the short cut of having American Values 2024 perform this campaign function for him.”
Kennedy responded to the FEC's claims in an X post that has since been deleted.
“The DNC is accusing my campaign of FEC violations in the form of secretive activity—activity that’s so secretive it’s on the Ballot Access HQ of my website,” he wrote. “After the day they had yesterday, it’s understandable they’d want to put the focus on someone else. The DNC is in no position to assert morality over anyone—they refused to have a primary and have worked against the will of the people in the past few elections. It’s sad to see the party my family built crash and burn.”
