Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax on Thursday that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson needs to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name from the state ballot, as the former independent presidential candidate requested, and stop playing "partisan games."
Despite suspending his campaign last week, Kennedy’s name will still appear on the Michigan ballot on Nov. 5, according to Benson’s office. Kennedy said he would pull his name from the ballot in key swing states to avoid hurting former President Donald Trump’s chances for a second White House term.
“This [secretary of state in] Michigan has to put their partisan hat aside and not care about who is going to win this election,” Whitaker said during an appearance on “Wake Up America.” “And, you know, quite frankly, I think it's a little rich to suggest who voters are going to support. It's a very individual decision and I don't know if RFK voters are going to support Trump in Michigan, are going to support Biden. At the end of the day, if somebody wants to take their name off the ballot, and there's a legal way to do that, just like being on the ballot, I think they should be allowed to do that. I don't think these partisan games are helpful to make sure that the American people have full confidence in our elections.”
“Hopefully it all depends on what the law is, instead of partisan judges and prosecutors like we've seen,” he continued. “And so, if the law in Michigan is such that it allows to remove his name from the ballot upon his request, then they should remove it. That's an easy, no-brainer solution to me.”
In a statement to Axios, Benson senior press secretary Cheri Hardmon said that minor party candidates “cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot.”
Kennedy was nominated earlier this year and appears on the Michigan ballot as the Natural Law Party candidate.
"The Natural Law Party held their convention to select electors for [RFK Jr.],” Hardmon said. “They cannot meet at this point to select new electors since it's past the primary.”
In exchange for ending his campaign and endorsing Trump, Kennedy was asked to join his former Republican rival’s transition team, with the possibility of a job in a potential Trump administration.
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Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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