Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not most conservatives' choice for a presidential candidate, but some of the things that he says and stands for resonate with conservative ideals. The defunding and shuttering of federal agencies like the CDC and FDA are one. Others involve his stance on cutting funding to Ukraine. But this latest stance strangely aligns him with his Republican challenger, former President Donald J. Trump, and could draw in another subset of voters who are neither Republican nor Democrat, but want their country back and are becoming allergic to the nonsense on both sides of the aisle.

In a March appearance with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Kennedy discussed pardoning former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and Kennedy alluded to the fact that if he did pardon the January 6 defendants, it would be on an "individual basis."

“I would pardon people,” Kennedy told Cavuto. “I intend to use the pardon power, and I intend to use it very quickly in office.”

On Friday, Kennedy expressed his suspicions that the prosecution of January 6 defendants was politically motivated, and not according to the rules of law and jurisprudence. 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday raised the possibility that the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol was not a “true insurrection” and expressed concern about the “weaponization of government” against those charged with crimes in connection to the riot.

“It is quite clear that many of the January 6 protestors broke the law in what may have started as a protest but turned into a riot. Because it happened with the encouragement of President Trump, and in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection,” he said in a statement.

He continued, “I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection.”

While Kennedy would not go as far as to say he would pardon the January 6 defendants, he did say he would appoint a special counsel to look into those prosecutions and how they have been conducted.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed Friday to appoint a special counsel to review cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot against rival Donald Trump and his supporters if Kennedy wins the Oval Office — arguing one can oppose the former president but still be “disturbed by the weaponization of government against him.”

“As President, I will appoint a special counsel — an individual respected by all sides — to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in this case, and I will right any wrongs that we discover. Without the impartial rule of law, there is no true democracy or moral governance,” Kennedy, 70, said in a lengthy statement released by his campaign.

Trump, 77, was indicted Aug. 1 of last year on charges related to his attempt to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

That case, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, is currently on hold while the Supreme Court considers whether Trump can claim “total immunity” for actions taken during his presidency.

As of January, more than 1,230 people had been charged with federal crimes in connection with the riot, which disrupted the formal count of electoral votes in Biden’s favor. Roughly 730 people had pleaded guilty to charges, while roughly 170 more had been convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury, according to an Associated Press database.

RedState reporting has revealed that the January 6 Committee withheld evidence, intimidated witnesses, made scurrilous charges that may not hold up to SCOTUS scrutiny, and have generally treated the supposed insurrectionists who entered the Capitol as if they were political prisoners, rather than American citizens. 

These statements surrounding the Democrats' Holy Grail of the January 6 Insurrection are even more reason for Democrats to fear a Kennedy candidacy. Kennedy is a threat to the re-election of President Joe Biden more than any other candidate—even Trump. Kennedy speaks to the populists who want smaller government and eschew the government agency apparatus that balloons it. Kennedy speaks to the disaffected Democrats who cannot stand having everything from transgenderism, to DEI, to medical Marxism shoved down their throat. 

Kennedy also speaks to those who are facing the reality that another four more years of Joe Biden will destroy the country, but who cannot stomach another Donald Trump presidency. For the American people who are not partisan or see it as the root of the ills in our republic, Kennedy rings those bells, and some of his rhetoric may even draw in some disaffected Republicans. While this would not allow him to win the presidency, it will certainly siphon voters from the Democrat camp, and that is what Democrats seek to stop by any means necessary.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has already split some of Mr. Biden's votes , and after Nicole Shanahan became Kennedy partner ,Kennedy problem with campaign finance will be solved ,Biden's campaign pressure will increase ,and our support for Mr. Biden need to increase as well. pic.twitter.com/JAoIYWDoV0

— ResistRubio (@ResistRubio) March 28, 2024