American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., received an unusual donation—alpaca shawls, according to campaign finance reports published online by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week.
The son of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, RFK Jr. is an attorney who rose to prominence in recent years after being a vocal vaccine critic and frequently promoting debunked claims that they can trigger autism in young children. He initially sought the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination before switching to an independent in October.
The campaign finance reports published online Tuesday by the FEC reveal an updated list of the contributions made to presidential candidates' campaigns and PACs.
American Values 2024 received an eye-popping donation that wasn't necessarily for its monetary value of $105,350 but rather the items donated: alpaca shawls and shipping.
The donor was listed as Daniel Adams of Aspen, Colorado. Adams and his wife Alicia are co-founders of Alicia Adams Alpaca, which, according to the company's website, is a family business "that specializes in the design and production of textiles and clothing utilizing the natural and sustainable characteristics of one of the rarest and most luxurious materials—alpaca wool."
Newsweek reached out via email on Wednesday to representatives for Kennedy's campaign, American Values 2024 and Alicia Adams Alpaca for comment.
While the campaign finance report lists the date of receipt for the shawls as January 19, it does not provide additional details. It was unclear at the time of publication exactly how many shawls were donated or why they were given.
The unique donation was pointed out by Rob Pyers, research director for nonpartisan group California Target Book, which provides "unbiased information" on congressional and state legislative campaigns in California, according to the group's website.
Pyers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share an image of FEC report page that included the alpaca product donation.
"Many people are paying attention to [billionaire businessman] Timothy Mellon's dual contributions, but I kind of feel like this in-kind contribution of $105,350 worth of Alpaca shawls and shipping to the RFK, Jr. SuperPAC has flown under the radar," Pyers said in the X post.
In an earlier post, Pyers also noted that Mellon donated to the campaigns of both Kennedy and former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner.
"January was a busy month for billionaire donor Timothy Mellon ... he contributed $5 million to American Values 2024, the RFK, Jr. SuperPAC, on January 8th, then gave $5 million to Donald Trump's MAGA, Inc. SuperPAC 12 days later," Pyers wrote.
Kennedy has faced mounting scrutiny over receiving contributions from donors who also fund Trump.
The Democratic National Committee recently ramped up efforts against Kennedy in Michigan, which holds its primary on February 27, launching several billboards highlighting his fundraising sources.
Correction 02/23/24, 7:35 a.m. ET: This article and headline was updated to clarify that America Values 2024, not Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign received the donation.
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Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more
