RFK Jr.’s campaign calls exclusion from debate ‘an act of collusion’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify for tonight’s debate, so he is having his own.

In a news release, the Kennedy campaign said the candidate aims to reach voters during a simultaneous debate in front of a live audience in Los Angeles.

Branded “The Real Debate,” Thursday night’s event will be moderated by John Stossel. It will be streamed at 9 p.m. on the social media platform X and at TheRealDebate.com.

Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. protest outside the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, June 21, 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, plans to relocate to its Burbank studios. Host network CNN said Thursday the independent presidential candidate fell short of benchmarks both for state ballot qualification and polling. The missed markers mean the June 27 showdown will be solely between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Credit: AP

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Credit: AP

Kennedy filed an election complaint in May alleging CNN was colluding with the candidates to leave him out and alleged the requirements to participate were designed to ensure only Biden and Trump would qualify, The Associated Press reported.

“CNN is making prohibited corporate contributions to both campaigns and the Biden committee and the Trump committee have accepted these prohibited corporate contributions,” a lawyer for Kennedy, Lorenzo Holloway, wrote in a letter to the Federal Election Commission.

CNN said the complaint was without merit.

On Thursday, Kennedy’s campaign said he “meets all published criteria” to participate and, repeating his prior claims, called his omission “an act of collusion between two establishment parties terrified of being held to their records.”

“The American people want leaders who trust them to make up their own minds,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Instead, our last two presidents are restricting voters from choosing anyone other than themselves.”