Former President Donald Trump has been accused of a new federal crime by social media users who claim that he promised former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a position in his administration for his endorsement if he's reelected to the White House.
By Rachel Dobkin
On Friday, Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, the GOP presidential nominee. Later that night, he joined Trump at a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona.
During his speech, Kennedy Jr. mentioned the issues that he and Trump agree on such as "having safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic," ending the Russia-Ukraine war, free speech and rebuilding the middle class.
Trump has not been charged with any new crimes and neither he nor Kennedy Jr. has admitted to this alleged quid pro quo exchange. Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign and Kennedy Jr.'s former campaign via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.
Before Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race, there were reports that he met with Trump and attempted to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, about his political future.
The Washington Post reported in July that Kennedy Jr. spoke with Trump about endorsing the former president and taking a job his administration if he wins in November, according to people familiar with the matter. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign confirmed that he met with Trump "to discuss national unity," but didn't go into the specifics of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Kennedy Jr.'s campaign officials told the Post in an August 14 report that he sought a meeting with Harris the week before to discuss a possible role in her administration if he supported her. The report said that the vice president did not show any interest in meeting with Kennedy Jr., according to people familiar with the matter.
When he announced that he would drop out and endorse Trump, Kennedy Jr. said that the former president had "asked to enlist me in his administration," but did not specify what role he may be given.
On Tuesday, Trump told CNN that he "probably would" consider appointing Kennedy Jr. to a role in his administration if he wins the presidential race later this year.
When asked by Fox News' Shannon Bream during an interview on Sunday if there were talks that he would get a position in a possible second Trump administration in exchange for his endorsement, Kennedy Jr. said, "No. There's been no commitments. But I met with [former] President Trump, with his family, with his close advisers, and we just made a general commitment that we were going to work together."
He also talked about the reports of his attempt to connect with the Harris campaign: "I reached out to them on the same basis that I reached out to [former] President Trump. And I actually talked to other presidential candidates...about figuring out ways that we could end the polarization and the hatred and the vitriol..."
Some people on X, formerly Twitter, accused Trump of illegally offering Kennedy Jr. a job in his administration for the former independent candidates' support.
"Oh, by the way, it is a FEDERAL CRIME to promise a post in an administration in exchange for a candidate endorsement. So of course convicted felon Donald Trump got RFK Jr. to endorse him. And of course former prosecutor Kamala Harris declined to meet with RFK Jr.," wrote Tristan Snell, a lawyer and legal commentator who prosecuted the 2013 civil case filed by the New York attorney general's office against Trump University, a real estate training program created by Trump in the early 2000s.
Trump denied any wrongdoing in the case, but a judge found him liable for operating the school without the proper license.
"Kennedy shopped his endorsement to both candidates. Trump illegally offered him a job. Harris wouldn't even take the call. Tells you everything you need to know," David Lazarus, a business and consumer news reporter for Los Angeles' KTLA, wrote.
One X user, George Leventhal, wrote, "Not that Trump or RFK Jr. cares about following the law, but it is illegal to offer a job in return for political support" and linked to a Cornell Law School webpage that discusses the law that Trump has been accused of breaking.
The federal law, titled, "Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity," states that anyone who "directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both."
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