The political action committee that dropped $7 million to promote Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid during the Super Bowl has picked its public face—selecting a spokesman forced out of progressive circles over claims of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Federal Election Commission records show the American Values 2024 Super PAC, established to boost the Hyannisport scion’s longshot attempt at the White House, has paid $90,000 to date to Silent Partner Inc., the firm of outcast media consultant Trevor Fitzgibbon. Multiple press releases the committee has put out list Fitzgibbon as its press contact, and both local and national news outlets have quoted him as its spokesman.
But missing so far from these citations is the PR man’s past: namely that he lost his former firm, Fitzgibbon Media—which once repped some of the biggest names in liberal politics, from The Intercept to NARAL to the Center for American Progress to MoveOn.org—in 2015 after multiple female employees accused him of groping them and insisting they send him sexy selfies. Authorities in Washington, D.C., ultimately declined to bring charges against Fitzgibbon, leading him to attempt a comeback with a new firm in 2017, only for a host of progressive organizations to sign a letter vowing never to employ him.
The Daily Beast reached out to American Values 2024 with inquiries about what kind of competitive interview process it conducted prior to hiring Fitzgibbon, how many alternative candidates it considered for the role, and at what point it had learned of the misconduct claim against him.
Rather than answer any of these questions, the PAC’s co-chair and treasurer instead accused The Daily Beast of engaging in “character assassination” by bringing up what he described as “old allegations.” The PAC also highlighted that Fitzgibbon once worked as New Mexico communications director for ex-President Barack Obama’s successful Democratic primary effort 16 years ago.
“Trevor Fitzgibbon has a long and distinguished career representing progressive causes, including the Obama campaign in 2008,” asserted Tony Lyons who besides helming the PAC also runs fringe imprint Skyhorse Publishing. Skyhorse has put out multiple books by Kennedy and also paid him six-figures in consulting fees, according to the candidate’s own disclosures. However, election law forbids the PAC from coordinating with the Martha’s Vineyard habitue’s campaign.
Writing from his Skyhorse Publishing email address, Lyons further noted that one of the accusers had retracted her claims as part of a settlement following protracted litigation.
Fitzgibbon himself did not respond to repeated queries, but referred The Daily Beast to Lyons’ statement. But when trying to relaunch himself seven years ago, in the midst of the #MeToo movement, he struck a far more penitent note than his current superior.
“I am sincerely sorry for my behavior and for any women who were harmed,” Fitzgibbon said in a statement at the time, even as he denied the criminal claims against him. “Moving forward, I have a newfound compassion and sensitivity for what women go through on a daily basis and am committed to fighting against unfair power dynamics and fighting for equality for everyone—both in my own actions and whenever I see it.”
But Fitzgibbon’s new venture, christened Mission Critical Media, appears to have gotten little traction at the time. His latest firm, Silent Partner Inc., has never received payment from another federal committee besides American Values.
The Daily Beast reported in 2020 that Fitzgibbon had powwowed with right-wing activists over a proposed but never-realized spying operation targeting the family of murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich.
Otherwise, Fitzgibbon has spent the intervening years representing such causes as offshore wind opposition groups and protests against aid to Ukraine. In 2022, he handled PR for an anti-vaccine mandate rally Kennedy led in Washington, D.C.
This post was originally published on Daily Beast
