A Democratic-aligned watchdog group is accusing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of violating election law last year.
Accountable.US filed a complaint with the New York State Board of Elections, according to a press release, asking the Division of Election Law Enforcement to investigate whether Kennedy broke the law by “registering for and voting” in the 2024 general election “from a New York residence at which he does not legally reside.”
“There is demonstrable evidence that Mr. Kennedy illegally voted from an address that is not his residence. We urge your office to immediately commence an investigation into this matter and to act swiftly to enforce any violations of New York law,” wrote Caroline Ciccone, president of Accountable.US, in the complaint.
The complaint cites public records that say Kennedy was registered to vote from a Katonah, N.Y., address despite an Albany County Supreme Court ruling last year, affirmed by the New York Third Judicial Department, that found he did not legitimately reside there.
“As the defendant in this case, Mr. Kennedy was clearly aware of the verdicts holding that he was not a legal resident of this Katonah address. Despite this undisputable knowledge, Mr. Kennedy voted from the property anyway,” the complaint reads.
Accountable.US executive director Tony Carrk said in a statement that Kennedy’s “clear lack of judgment shows he should not be confirmed” to the role of HHS Secretary.
But Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted the complaint, which was first reported by Politico.
“This ‘watchdog’ group is run by Obama/Biden/Kamala/Hillary staffers and Democrat donors. Completely partisan and politically-motivated,” Cheung wrote on X.
Ciccone, the group’s president, previously served as its executive director before spending two years in the Biden-Harris administration, according to the group’s webpage. Carrk, the current executive director, previously worked with the advocacy group Protect Our Care and worked as the research director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Democrat-turned-independent Kennedy endorsed Trump after ending his longshot White House bid last summer and is now one of the president-elect’s Cabinet picks.
His nomination to lead HHS has been contentious as some sound alarms — citing his vaccine skepticism and other controversial opinions — that his leadership could hamper progress on public health.
