The campaign team of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has retracted language used in recent fundraising emails that controversially referred to the defendants of the January 6 incident as “activists” who have been “deprived of their constitutional rights.”
The fundraising emails, dispatched to supporters on Wednesday and Thursday, aimed to fuel concerns about government overreach, a central theme of Kennedy’s campaign. The emails drew a parallel between the predicament of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, referred to as a “political prisoner,” and the legal proceedings against those apprehended in relation to the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol.
The emails read, “We must free Assange now! The Brits want to ensure our government doesn’t harm Assange. This is the reality that every American Citizen faces – from Ed Snowden, to Julian Assange to the J6 activists detained in a Washington DC jail cell, deprived of their Constitutional liberties.”
This language mirrors the rhetoric often used by former President Donald Trump and his allies in defense of the January 6 rioters. Stefanie Spear, a spokesperson for Kennedy’s campaign, informed CNN that the language used in the fundraising emails was a “mistake” and the campaign has since severed ties with the vendor responsible.
Spear clarified that the campaign’s stance is that those who “broke the law” in relation to the January 6 insurrection should face “appropriate” penalties. “That statement was a mistake that does not reflect Mr. Kennedy’s views. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process,” Spear stated. “Anyone who broke the law on Jan. 6 should be subject to appropriate criminal and/or civil penalties,” she added.
The controversial campaign messages were sent shortly after Kennedy argued on CNN that President Joe Biden posed a greater threat to democracy than Trump, despite acknowledging that the former president’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election “clearly is a threat to democracy.” Kennedy’s argument was based on his experience of being blocked on social media during the Biden administration.
Trump and his Republican allies have consistently defended those arrested in relation to the January 6 Capitol attack, occasionally referring to them as “hostages” and comparing them to political prisoners. Trump has stated that he would pardon a “large portion” of January 6 rioters if he is reelected.
This story has been updated with additional information.