(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The man facing a federal indictment for allegedly causing the deadliest wildfire in Los Angeles history was a donor to Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
The relatively small donations shed light into the political leanings into of the suspect, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Rinderknecht twice gave $2 to the former pro-Biden PAC ActBlue days before the 2020 election on Sept. 4, 2020. He gave one dollar to the same PAC on Sept. 11.
Rinderknecht was also registered to vote in Florida, though he did not list a party affiliation, according to New York Post, which was first to report on the donations.
His donations came to light just hours after the DOJ announced that he was indicted with maliciously starting a fire in California that eventually became the Palisades Fire of January 2025.
The revelation undercuts Democrats’ and former President Joe Biden’s claims that the Palisades Fire was the result of climate change.
The wildfire began on Jan. 7 and were not contained until Jan. 31, burning nearly 24,000 acres, leaving 12 individuals dead and destroying 6,837 structures.
The losses caused by wildfire are estimated to have surpassed $250 billion.
In a statement, Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli said he hoped the case would bring “some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.
⁰The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day –… pic.twitter.com/UzrFa0Lmrz— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 8, 2025
