Robert Kennedy Jr. Denied Secret Service Protection

Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday morning the Biden administration denied him Secret Service protection.

“Since the assassination of my father in 1968, candidates for president are provided Secret Service protection. But not me,” RFK Jr. wrote.

“Typical turnaround time for pro forma protection requests from presidential candidates is 14-days. After 88-days of no response and after several follow-ups by our campaign, the Biden Administration just denied our request,” he added.

According to RFK Jr., DHS Secretary Mayorkas said:

“I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F Kennedy Jr is not warranted at this time.”

“Our campaign’s request included a 67-page report from the world’s leading protection firm, detailing unique and well established security and safety risks aside from commonplace death threats,” RFK Jr. added.

Since the assassination of my father in 1968, candidates for president are provided Secret Service protection.  But not me.
 
Typical turnaround time for pro forma protection requests from presidential candidates is 14-days.  After 88-days of no response and after several…

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) July 28, 2023

“He’s not wrong,” said former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino.

“I’ve worked with CNOS (Candidate Nominee Operations Section) protective details for candidates with a FAR smaller campaign footprint than RFK. No way he should be denied USSS protection,” he continued.

“This appears to be a political decision by DHS, rather than a security-focused one,” he added.

He’s not wrong.
I’ve worked with CNOS (Candidate Nominee Operations Section) protective details for candidates with a FAR smaller campaign footprint than RFK. No way he should be denied USSS protection.
This appears to be a political decision by DHS, rather than a… https://t.co/qoFzlGkeMi

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) July 28, 2023

ABC News wrote in 2019:

After Democratic nominee Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles following his winning the California primary in 1968, Congress changed the law to authorize Secret Service protection for major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of the general presidential election.

The term “major presidential and vice presidential candidates” means those identified as such by the secretary of Homeland Security after consultation with an advisory committee consisting of the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and one additional member selected by the other members of the committee.

A candidate has to hit several markers to show they are a “major presidential candidate.” According to the Congressional Research Service, that includes:

• They are a publicly declared candidates.
• They are actively campaigning nationally and are contesting at least 10 state primaries.
• Are pursuing the nomination of a qualified party, one whose presidential candidate received at least 10% of the popular vote in the prior election.
• Are qualified for public matching funds of at least $100,000, and have raised at least $10 million in additional contributions.
• Have received by April 1 of the election year an average of 5 percent in individual candidate preferences in the most recent national opinion polls by ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, or have received at least 10 percent of the votes cast for all candidates in two same-day or consecutive primaries or caucuses.

Additionally, like with Obama, threats can play a determining factor as to whether a candidate should be eligible for protection. While the threat dynamic is not a stipulated point, it is reviewed and weighed as a supporting factor.

Typically, though, the threat dynamic follows candidates who are “out there” the most — and the candidates “out there” the most are usually major candidates.

Once they hit those markers, the secretary of Homeland Security consults with the advisory committee and one additional member selected by the other members of the committee (usually from the Secret Service) and determines if a candidate is eligible for Secret Service protection.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s uncle and father were both assassinated, and the Democrat presidential candidate said last month he has to ‘be careful’ the CIA doesn’t assassinate him.

Per Fox News:

Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said he has to “be careful” that the CIA doesn’t take him out.

Kennedy told podcast host and comedian Joe Rogan that he thinks he would be assassinated by the CIA if elected president — as he has claimed the agency was involved in the assassination of his uncle, the late President John F. Kennedy.

“I gotta be careful,” Kennedy said. “I’m aware of that, you know, I’m aware of that danger. I don’t live in fear of it at all.”

“But I’m not stupid about it, and I take precautions,” he added.

Kennedy said the military, the intelligence community and his uncle were “at war” with each other during JFK’s presidency and that the two entities were “trying to trick” the late president into deploying troops to various countries, including Cuba and Vietnam.

The Democratic presidential candidate added that his uncle was so fed up with the CIA that he wanted to “shatter” the agency and “scatter it to the winds.”

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Watch RFK Jr.’s comments about John F. Kennedy and the military industrial complex on Joe Rogan’s podcast: