By Stephanie Kelly
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An excellent PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s presidential marketing campaign obtained $5 million in April from Timothy Mellon, the most recent donation the 81-year-old banking inheritor has made to the unbiased candidate, in response to a month-to-month submitting launched on Monday.
The donation from Mellon, who has been a key backer of Republican candidate Donald Trump in recent times, to the Kennedy-supporting American Values 2024 comes after already giving at the least $20 million to the Kennedy tremendous PAC.
American Values 2024 ended April with $20.85 million money readily available, in response to the submitting with the Federal Election Fee, after spending to get Kennedy on state ballots and different bills.
Mellon, a scion of the Pittsburgh-based Mellon banking household, has given the pro-Trump tremendous PAC often called MAGA Inc at the least $16.5 million since 2022. In the course of the 2020 presidential election, Mellon gave at the least $20 million to a different pro-Trump tremendous PAC, America First Motion Inc.
Efforts by Reuters to contact Mellon for remark by way of a writer had been unsuccessful.
Kennedy would draw about 13% of nationwide votes in a three-way matchup with Democratic President Joe Biden and Trump, a latest Reuters/Ipsos ballot exhibits. It is unclear whether or not he’d draw extra from Democrats or Republicans; Reuters interviews present his followers embrace former supporters of each Democratic President Joe Biden and Trump.
Mellon’s contributions to the RFK tremendous PAC, which may obtain donations of limitless dimension however can’t coordinate with campaigns instantly, are an effort to siphon away votes from Biden and assist Trump, the Democratic Celebration claims.
“MAGA Republicans are hellbent on propping up RFK Jr to be a spoiler for Trump in this race,” stated Matt Corridoni, spokesperson for the Democratic Nationwide Committee (DNC).
American Values 2024 disputed that rivalry.
“The RNC (Republican National Committee) also says Bobby Kennedy is a spoiler,” stated Tony Lyons, co-chair of American Values 2024. “If RFK Jr can burst through the tricks, the scare tactics, the censorship and the lies, the DNC and the RNC know that he can win.”
Trump has additionally taken goal at Kennedy. On his social media platform Fact Social, Trump in April known as Kennedy “a Democrat ‘Plant'” and “a Radical Left Liberal.”
Kennedy’s candidacy has additionally been bankrolled by his vice presidential decide Nicole Shanahan, a rich tech lawyer from California. She gave Kennedy’s marketing campaign about $8 million in April, in response to the newest marketing campaign submitting. In March she gave $2 million to the marketing campaign.
Shanahan, the previous spouse of Google (NASDAQ:) co-founder Sergey Brin, beforehand additionally gave $4 million to American Values 2024.
