Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Joe Biden and Donald Trump Friday of trampling on personal liberties in response to the pandemic that spanned their presidencies.
Kennedy, who has long claimed to be a victim of government and media censorship of his unorthodox views, said Americans have lost faith in their leaders and institutions, and he pledged to restore it.
"Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory, but I don't recall any part of the United States Constitution where there's an exemption for pandemics," Kennedy said, referencing a New York Times report that he was diagnosed more than a decade ago with a parasite that lodged in his brain.
"Neither of them upheld the Constitution when it really counted," he said of the current and former president.
Kennedy spoke at the Libertarian Party convention in Washington as he looks to grow his base of support among Americans disaffected with the Republican and Democratic parties. He's formed alliances with minor parties spanning the ideological spectrum to gain access to the ballot in November and the debate stage next month.
Kennedy talked publicly about pursuing the Libertarian nomination as a way to secure ballot access, which sparked controversy in the party, where some members opposed supporting a candidate who is not always in step with their limited government views. His mere presence at the convention was controversial, with some delegates attempting to bar his speech. Kennedy was not on the list of nominees from which a Libertarian presidential candidate will be selected on Saturday.
"Democratic and Republican administrations have taken turns assaulting our constitutional rights and freedoms," Kennedy said.
He repeated his pledge to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting extradition from the United Kingdom on U.S. espionage charges, and to drop charges against Edward Snowden, a former intelligence contractor who revealed classified U.S. surveillance programs to capture communications and data from around the world.
Trump is scheduled to address the Libertarian convention Saturday, courting a segment of mostly conservative voters that has often been skeptical of him while trying to ensure attendees aren't drawn to Kennedy.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
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