Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate, accused President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump of collusion to keep him out of upcoming debates.

Biden and Trump had accepted invitations for debates hosted by CNN and ABC News. However, Kennedy doesn’t currently meet CNN’s criteria for participation.

Despite this, Kennedy’s campaign stated he would accept an invitation if he qualified. Kennedy expressed frustration at being excluded, claiming it undermines democracy.

Both CNN and ABC News set criteria similar to those of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has faced criticism in the past for its exclusionary criteria, NBC News has reported.

Kennedy’s campaign is working to meet state ballot access deadlines, but strategic delays are employed to avoid extra scrutiny, particularly from the Democratic National Committee.

As per the campaign’s tracker, Kennedy could currently qualify for 187 electoral votes based on states where they’ve gathered signatures.

Written by B.C. Begley