A contractor with ties to Hays County is working with the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign in what The New York Times described as a “central role” in ballot-access efforts – and he has been arrested for assault twice this year. 

Trenton Donn Pool, son of Hays County District Judge Joe Pool, has been involved with two companies that focus on circulating petitions and getting candidates ballot access. Accelevate 2020 and Public Appeal LLC have been involved in the Kennedy campaign’s efforts to get the independent presidential candidate on the ballots in all 50 states. Public Appeal had worked with a political action committee supporting Kennedy’s candidacy, Federal Election Commission records show. Accelevate 2020 – where he heads operations while his brother Joe Richard Pool III (“Trey”) serves as CEO – has been working directly with the campaign. Opensecrets.org shows that the Kennedy campaign has paid Accelevate 2020 more than $5 million. 

On May 2, Mediaite broke the story that Pool was arrested for assault in Manhattan on April 27. Citing an NYPD spokesperson, Mediaite reported that Pool was arguing with a 25-year-old woman at a hotel in Manhattan, and the woman said Pool put his hand around her neck, making it hard for her to breathe, and hit her in the face with a closed fist. The woman reportedly declined medical attention, and Pool was arrested without incident, according to Mediaite. 

The Examiner was able to confirm through court records that Pool was arrested and arraigned on April 27 and was charged with third degree assault, choking, and second degree harassment. The first two charges are Class A misdemeanors (punishable by up to a year in jail), and the harassment charge is a “violation” – less than a misdemeanor, under New York state law. Pool has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. His trial was initially scheduled for mid-June but was postponed until Aug. 6.

Mediaite also reported that Pool had been arrested for assault in Seattle in February. The Examiner was able to confirm this with court records. Pool was arrested Feb. 27 and charged with fourth degree assault – classified as a “gross misdemeanor” in Washington state and punishable by a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail. No details about Pool’s bond or the incident itself were available, but court records show that any financial responsibilities Pool had related to the case had been fulfilled, and police records show that the case was closed.

According to Hays County court records, Pool’s only brushes with the law in Hays County have been traffic-related. 

The Examiner reached out to Judge Pool and the Kennedy campaign for comments and received no response from either party.

Accelevate 2020 has worked on many Independent or third-party candidates’ campaigns, filing and winning lawsuits in numerous states related to the collection of petition signatures. In 2020, the firm worked with presidential candidates Brock Pierce, Tulsi Gabbard, and Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente. In 2022, Accelevate 2020 worked on Pierce’s congressional campaign. In the 2024 election cycle, the company worked with the Marianne Williamson campaign, which paid the firm about $230,000, and Nikki Haley’s campaign, which paid about $210,000. Closer to home, the company worked for the “Save Austin Now” political action committee that promoted the eradication of homeless encampments in Austin. Before Accelevate 2020, Pool had a political consulting company called Bezenet that helped with Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell’s campaign in 2016. 

Judge Pool currently presides over the 428th District Court in Hays County, a position he ran for on the Democratic ticket. He campaigned to be the Democratic candidate for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 – a position he ran for as a Republican 10 years ago – but lost the primary. 

BY ROBIN BLACKBURN

Author’s note: This report cites information from a May 2 piece by
Mediaite, which can be found here: