An arrest was made at a luxury Manhattan hotel early last Saturday morning involving a top ballot-access consultant for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign, as reported by the New York Police Department.
The consultant, Trent Pool, 37, was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and assault after an incident at the Soho Grand Hotel. A 25-year-old woman alleged that Pool had assaulted her by wrapping his hand around her neck and striking her in the face. The woman declined medical attention at the scene.
The arrest was initially reported by Mediaite.
Stefanie Spear, a spokeswoman for the Kennedy campaign, stated that Pool is a contractor and denies the alleged incident took place. Gregory Esposito, Pool’s lawyer, asserted his client’s innocence and looks forward to proving it in court.
Trent Pool, a petition circulator from Texas, has been heavily involved in Mr. Kennedy’s ballot-access efforts. The Kennedy campaign has paid Pool’s firm, Accelevate 2020, nearly $390,000 for ballot consulting. Pool has been influential in challenging state signature-gathering rules and was part of a federal lawsuit in Utah filed by the Kennedy campaign to extend the state’s ballot deadline.
American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy, has also collaborated with Pool. The super PAC paid millions to companies for ballot access work, including a significant amount to a firm called Public Appeal LLC, co-founded by Pool and his brother.
Tony Lyons, a leader of the super PAC, did not provide an immediate comment on the situation.
