Trump Accused of New Federal Crime
Former President Donald Trump is facing allegations of committing a new federal crime, according to social media users who believe he may have offered a position in his administration to former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in exchange for his endorsement.
On Friday, Kennedy Jr. announced that he was dropping out of the presidential race and officially endorsed Trump, the Republican Party’s nominee. That same evening, Kennedy Jr. appeared alongside Trump at a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona.
In his speech, Kennedy Jr. highlighted several areas of agreement with Trump, including their shared goals of ensuring food safety, tackling the chronic disease epidemic, ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, protecting free speech, and revitalizing the middle class.
Prior to Kennedy Jr.’s exit from the presidential race, reports surfaced indicating that he had met with Trump and sought a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic presidential nominee, to discuss his political future.
According to a July report from The Washington Post, Kennedy Jr. had conversations with Trump about potentially endorsing the former president and possibly joining his administration if Trump wins the election in November.
Kennedy Jr.’s campaign confirmed that the two met to discuss “national unity” but did not provide further details about the specifics of their conversation.
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 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his decision to drop out and endorse Donald Trump, he mentioned that the former president had “asked to enlist me in his administration.” However, he didn’t clarify what specific role he might be offered.
In a recent interview with CNN, Trump said he “probably would” consider giving Kennedy Jr. a position in his administration if he wins the upcoming presidential election.
It’s important to note that Trump hasn’t been charged with any new crimes, and neither he nor Kennedy Jr. has admitted to any alleged quid pro quo arrangement. Newsweek reached out to both Trump’s campaign and Kennedy Jr.’s former campaign team for comments on the situation, but as of Saturday afternoon, there was no response.
Meanwhile, on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), some users have accused Trump of potentially violating federal law by allegedly offering Kennedy Jr. a job in exchange for his endorsement. Tristan Snell, a lawyer and legal commentator, pointed out that promising a government position in return for an endorsement is a federal crime.
Snell, who gained attention for prosecuting the 2013 civil case against Trump University on behalf of the New York attorney general’s office, tweeted: “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.”
Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing in the Trump University case, but a judge ruled that he was liable for operating the program without the necessary 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.
A user on X, George Leventhal, pointed out, “Not that Trump or RFK Jr. cares about following the law, but it is illegal to offer a job in return for political support.” He included a link to a Cornell Law School page detailing the specific law Trump is accused of violating.
The federal law, known as “Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity,” prohibits offering employment, compensation, contracts, or any other benefits as a reward for political support.
The law explicitly 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” in exchange for political activity, or support for or opposition to any candidate or political party in connection with an election, can face a fine, imprisonment of up to one year, or both.