Progressive Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), in a letter intended for vice presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan, is urging her to walk away from the ticket with Robert F Kennedy Jr., citing concerns that the campaign could lead to an election victory for Donald Trump.
RFK announced his selection of Shanahan last month as he forges ahead with an Independent bid for the White House.
According to Kennedy’s running mate, CBS News obtained a letter intended for her from Khanna warning that “supporting Kennedy could aid Trump’s return to the White House and have negative environmental consequences.”
“Even Trump himself, and other members of his team, have admitted that a RFK Jr. ticket will help his reelection,” Khanna writes.
The letter appears to be an end-around to stifle Kennedy’s significant campaign. Democrats and his own family have pressured him repeatedly to drop out citing the same concerns as Khanna. But to no avail.
@CBSNews is on Team Biden.
It delivered a letter from Ro Khanna to RFK’s running mate Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) urging her to step down to prevent a Trump victory in November.
CBS acted as the courier. Do you understand this means that CBS is a trusted ally of Team… pic.twitter.com/PiNDG2qbOf
— Dan Schneider (@Schneider_DC) April 10, 2024
RELATED: Who is Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s Vice Presidential Pick?
Nicole Shanahan Responds
The fact that Khanna ran to CBS News in order to get the word out is rather remarkable. He penned the letter but didn’t send it to RFK’s running mate. Yet, anyway.
“He made his pitch to her in a letter he shared with CBS News, though he hadn’t yet sent it to Shanahan,” the outlet reveals.
This is confounding, since he knows full well the outlet was going to in turn contact Shanahan for comment. Which they did. They served dutifully as the Democrat lawmakers personal courier.
And she, in turn, blasted him on social media.
The far-left candidate called Khanna out and said he originally encouraged her to run but had clearly been strong-armed into trying to get her to drop out.
.@CBS just sent this to me:
“I have received a letter from Rep. Ro Khanna, intended for Nicole Shanahan, urging her to step down as RFK Jr.’s running mate. In the letter, Rep. Khanna warns Shanahan that supporting Kennedy could aid Trump’s return to the White House and have…
— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) April 9, 2024
“In my conversation with Ro, he congratulated me on the position and encouraged me to run, stating that every American has the right to run in this country,” she writes. “He stated that we live in a democracy, and it was wrong for anyone to threaten me against running.”
“Clearly, Ro has changed his stance based on pressure from the party,” adds Shanahan. “I hope he understands how anti-democratic it is to ask someone to step down from a race that empowers the American public to make their own decisions.”
She went on to express her disappointment with Khanna’s actions and added he could have simply called her to discuss.
RELATED: RFK’s Independent Bid Is Hurting Biden In The Polls: Report
RFK Chimes In
Robert F Kennedy Jr. praised Nicole Shanahan for her courage in standing strong against Democrats pressuring her to drop out.
He also suggested the party that claims to be the great defender of democracy is literally trying to decrease democracy.
“I have always admired Ro Khanna,” he wrote on X. “His flip-flop here is disappointing. The party has power to bludgeon men of character into wavering.”
Im so grateful for your courage and grace Nicole. I have always admired RoKhanna. His flip flop here is disappointing. The party has power to bludgeon men of character into waivering.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 10, 2024
This isn’t the first time Kennedy has hinted that the Democrat Party is a bigger threat to democracy than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“I can make the argument that President Biden is a much worse threat to democracy,” he tells CNN in a recent interview.
NEW: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells CNN that Joe Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump.
🔥🔥
CNN: “Do you really believe that when people talk about the threat to democracy that Trump poses, do you really think that that is an equal evil to Biden?”
RFK: “I mean,… pic.twitter.com/jNzE0ynugZ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 2, 2024
Biden has been trying to distance himself from RFK. The two are both far-left Democrats by any standard. But Kennedy offers a legitimate option for those party voters dismayed with Biden’s presidency.
Polls, subsequently, are showing the Kennedy name is hurting Biden. Democrat voters are being pulled away by his running as an Independent.
That’s why they want him out so badly.
And if they can’t force Kennedy out, it seems they’ll at least try to torpedo his campaign by pressuring Nicole Shanahan into walking away.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”