RFK Jr. Faces Questions in Court Over Signature Issues

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced scrutiny in a New York court regarding his presidential campaign's handling of signature-gathering for ballot access. During a trial linked to a lawsuit from the Democratic National Committee, Kennedy admitted that his campaign submitted thousands of signatures collected by a subcontractor, despite being aware of deceptive practices employed by some canvassers. Allegations include the folding of petition sheets to obscure Kennedy's name and that of his vice presidential pick, Nicole Shanahan, leaving only lesser-known electors visible. Kennedy, testifying under oath, accepted ultimate responsibility for the campaign's actions, although he claimed he was not informed of every detail regarding the subcontractor's operations. When pressed about the decision to submit the signatures, he confirmed his accountability. New York law mandates that independent candidates gather 45,000 signatures to qualify for the general election ballot. Following media reports on the questionable practices, Kennedy's campaign manager advised against using the problematic petitions. Despite this, Kennedy later acknowledged that the campaign submitted over 12,000 signatures from the subcontractor, while attempting to discard around 8,000 signatures deemed fraudulent. The plaintiffs' lawyers presented evidence that some creased pages were still submitted, contradicting the campaign's claims. Additionally, the lawsuit contends that Kennedy's petitions were invalid as they inaccurately listed his residence in New York, while he actually lives in California with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. An appeals court is set to hear arguments in this case next week.