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A Super PAC called Heal the Divide that was launched to support Democratic 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly appears to have ties with top MAGA Republicans.
Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, officially announced his presidential bid in April. The Heal the Divide Super PAC created to support him as he challenges incumbent President Joe Biden next year said it accepts donations in cryptocurrency as well as U.S. dollars.
"Only Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. can unite the Nation to start healing America. And Heal The Divide, Inc's mission is to heal America by ensuring that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the next President of the United States of America," the Heal the Divide's website reads.
Creators of the Super PAC, however, appear to be connected to conservative Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and George Santos of New York as well as former Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker, Rolling Stone reported on Friday, citing data compiled by OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign financing and lobbying.
The group behind Heal the Divide has listed Jason D. Boles of RTA Strategy, a firm that provides campaign solutions, as its treasurer, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings that were viewed by Rolling Stone.
Meanwhile, Greene's campaign and leadership PAC, Save America Stop Socialism, reportedly paid RTA Strategy more than $372,000 to work on her campaign for last year's midterm elections, according to data by OpenSecrets.
In addition to reportedly being connected to Greene's campaign, Heal the Divide appears to have on its website the same terms of service as MAGA PAC, a Trump Super PAC, Rolling Stone reported.
Kennedy Jr. has often been on the same page with some conservatives and Republicans when it came to certain issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic. He has become well-known for being outspoken against COVID-19 restrictions and opposed the COVID vaccine. He released a book in 2021 titled, The Real Anthony Fauci, in which he claimed that the country's top infectious disease doctor is assisting in a "historic coup d'etat against Western democracy" and touted unfounded COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, according to the Associated Press.
The Democratic presidential candidate has been praised by several MAGA conservatives, including Steve Bannon, who served as the White House strategist during the Trump administration. In April, Bannon said that Kennedy Jr. would be "an excellent choice" as former President Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate in 2024.
"Someone asked about Robert F. Kennedy and the great speech at Hillsdale (a college in Michigan where Kennedy spoke last month during a seminar attacking 'Big Pharma') and what did I think about his prospects," Bannon said during his War Room podcast at the time about why Kennedy Jr. would be a good match.
Other conservatives backing Kennedy Jr. include right-wing group Moms For Liberty that announced on Wednesday that he would be invited as a guest speaker at the group's 2023 Joyful Warriors National Summit later this month. He is expected to appear alongside Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump.
Kennedy Jr. has also been invited to share his views on conservative platforms such as Joe Rogan's podcast and spoke with conservative author Jordan Peterson. Twitter owner Elon Musk also hosted a town hall with Kennedy Jr. on the social media platform earlier this year.
Newsweek reached out by email to Heal the Divide Super PAC for comment.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more