Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Democratic US presidential candidate, had denied being a Bitcoin (BTC) investor prior to a recent filing which contradicted his statements. According to financial documents filed in June, Kennedy, the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, has between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Bitcoin held in a brokerage account.
Kennedy had stated at a conference in May that he was not involved in Bitcoin investment. In response to the report, Kennedy’s campaign manager, former Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, claimed the purchase was made after the speech in Miami. Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel for watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest if Kennedy promoted Bitcoin on his campaign trail while his family held the cryptocurrency. Kucinich dismissed the concerns, asserting that there was no conflict. Kennedy has continued to publicly support Bitcoin since the conference in Miami.
The financial documents revealed that Kennedy’s Bitcoin holdings made less than $201 in income. The filing does not specify the date of purchase, the person who made the investment, or the amount spent on the initial investment. Moreover, it is not known if the family has sold their Bitcoin holdings. Initially, the Kennedy campaign claimed the investments were not Kennedy’s, but rather his wife’s, and he was not involved in her investment decisions. However, a campaign spokesperson later confirmed Kennedy does hold a Bitcoin investment.
In April, Kennedy announced his plan to run for the White House in 2024, making him the second Democratic Party candidate to challenge Joe Biden in his presumed bid for re-election. Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey voiced support for Kennedy, arguing he can beat Donald Trump and DeSantis in 2024. During his keynote speech at a Bitcoin conference in Miami, Kennedy referred to the cryptocurrency as an “exercise in democracy.” He added: “As president, I will make sure that your right to hold and use Bitcoin is inviolable.”
