Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer and the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, was reportedly a driving drive behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s $7 million presidential campaign ad during this year’s Super Bowl.
Shanahan – whose divorce from Brin was finalized last fall after rumors she had an affair together with his billionaire buddy Elon Musk – revealed that she donated $4 million to the tremendous PAC chargeable for the advert, American Values 2024.
The outstanding Democratic donor advised The New York Times that her donation was particularly meant to assist pay for the 30-second advert spot.
Shanahan additionally reportedly assisted with the advert’s last edit and helped to easy over authorized considerations at CBS Sports activities and Paramount in regards to the industrial – which bore a powerful resemblance to a well-known advert from former President John F. Kennedy’s 1960 marketing campaign.
“It looks like a fantastic alternative to focus on that he’s working for president,” Shanahan stated in an interview with The Occasions.
When the tremendous PAC’s authentic Tremendous Bowl advert idea was derailed by fears it may violate guidelines in opposition to marketing campaign coordination, Shanahan reportedly stepped in with a “small workforce” and started pouring over outdated marketing campaign adverts for concepts.
Shanahan advised the outlet that she had by no means seen the 1960 Kennedy advert that was closely referenced within the last product. Authorized considerations had been reportedly allayed as a result of the unique advert is taken into account public area.
Kennedy, 70, is working for president as a third-party candidate. The environmental lawyer has confronted scrutiny over his anti-vaccine views, in addition to sharp criticism from critics in each events who worry his presence within the race will harm their most popular candidate’s re-election possibilities.
Shanahan clarified that she is “not an anti-vaxxer,” however acknowledged that she does “marvel about vaccine accidents.” She cited Kennedy’s give attention to environmental safety, vaccine security and kids’s well being points as some causes for her help.
She admitted to being “extremely upset” by RFK Jr.’s determination to run as an impartial however finally determined to again him anyway.
“I do assume we have now an environmental well being disaster on this nation,” Shanahan added. “I do consider Individuals deserve clear water. And we will’t obtain that within the present local weather of politics.”
Shanahan, who beforehand donated to President Biden’s marketing campaign in 2020, gave the utmost $6,600 contribution to Kennedy’s marketing campaign this election cycle.
Kennedy apologized to his kin in regards to the advert Sunday night time, which some relations reportedly discovered insensitive to JFK’s legacy, writing on X that he was “so sorry if the Tremendous Bowl commercial brought about anybody in my household ache.”
“The advert was created and aired by the American Values Tremendous PAC with none involvement or approval from my marketing campaign. FEC guidelines prohibit Tremendous PACs from consulting with me or my employees. I really like you all. God bless you,” Kennedy wrote.
Regardless of the apology, Kennedy nonetheless had the advert “pinned” on the high of his X profile as of Tuesday morning.
Shanahan, who married Brin in 2018, has strongly denied assertions from a bombshell Wall Street Journal report that alleged she and Musk had “engaged in a quick affair” in late 2021.
“Did Elon and I’ve intercourse, prefer it was a second of ardour, after which it was over? No,” Shanahan advised Folks final yr. “Did we have now a romantic relationship? No. We didn’t have an affair.”
