Investor Bill Ackman, David Sacks' PAC donated to RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign

Billionaire hedge money main Bill Ackman donated $3,300 successful the 2nd 4th to Democrat and anti-vaccine statesmanlike campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s run during the 2nd quarter, according to a Federal Election Commission filing.

Ackman's donation came conscionable days aft helium sided, successful a tweet, with Kennedy's broadly debunked skepticism astir vaccines.

Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square Capital, explained to CNBC days later: "I listened to RFK connected respective podcasts and a municipality hallway and thought helium raised important issues astir vaccines and different issues that were worthy learning much about." When asked astatine the time, helium didn't accidental whether helium had donated to Kennedy's campaign.

Ackman is 1 of respective salient concern leaders who donated to Kennedy's run successful the 2nd quarter. The Purple Good Government PAC, a committee that's been mostly funded by capitalist and Elon Musk state David Sacks, donated $6,600 to the campaign.

Ken Fisher, the laminitis and enforcement president of Fisher Investments, donated $6,600 to the campaign, according to the filing.

Veteran Wall Street enforcement Omeed Malik besides donated $6,600 to the Kennedy campaign, the filing says. Malik is hosting a fundraiser for Kennedy successful the Hamptons this month. Brett Messing, a spouse astatine Anthony Scaramucci's SkyBridge Capital, besides donated the campaign, according to the filing.

A donor named Eric Clapton, identified arsenic a instrumentalist with an code successful England, donated $5,000 to Kennedy's campaign.

It wasn't instantly wide if that donor was the aforesaid idiosyncratic arsenic the legendary English guitarist Eric Clapton, who has a agelong past of airing arguable views and released an anti-vaccine and Covid lockdown protest opus during the Covid pandemic. The filing notes adjacent to the donation: "refund successful consequent period." Federal instrumentality prohibits donations to U.S. campaigns from overseas nationals.

The astir an idiosyncratic tin springiness toward helping a campaigner successful either a superior oregon wide predetermination play wrong an predetermination rhythm is $3,300. A $6,600 donation tin beryllium divided betwixt the superior and wide predetermination accounts.

The 2nd 4th spans from April 1 until June 30.

Ackman's spokesperson declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Sacks did not instrumentality a petition for comment. Fisher did not instrumentality a petition for comment. A spokeswoman for Clapton did not instrumentality a petition for comment.

Sacks co-hosted an lawsuit successful June with chap tech person Chamath Palihapitiya that raised astir $500,000. The Kennedy run finished raising implicit $6 million, with implicit $4 cardinal connected hand. Neither Sacks nor Palihapitiya are listed connected the run fundraising filing arsenic having contributed toward Kennedy's run.

President Joe Biden, Kennedy's rival, raised implicit $72 million successful the 2nd quarter.

A June Quinnipiac poll shows Biden with 70 % enactment among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, portion Kennedy has 17% among those aforesaid groups.

CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this article.