Politics
RFK Jr. Blasts Biden Admin for Brushing Off Secret Service Request
By Jake Beardslee · July 29, 2023
In brief…
- Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, chasticed the Biden administration for denying him Secret Service protection
- In his tweet, RFK Jr. invoked the the 1968 assassination of his father, Robert F. Kennedy.
- It took 88 days for DHS Secretary Mayorkas to reject Kennedy's request, whch included a 67-page security analysis detailing the risks RFK Jr. faces as a national candidate from the Kennedy family.
- Jimmy Carter preemptively granted Secret Service protection to RFK Jr's uncle Ted Kennedy when he began considering a challenge to Carter's presidency in 1979.
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the Biden administration for denying him Secret Service protection on the presidential campaign trail yesterday.
Kennedy invoked the 1968 assassination of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, declaring in a tweet, “Since the assassination of my father in 1968, candidates for president are provided Secret Service protection. But not me.”
Kennedy, who has received double-digit support among Democrats in most polls for his 2024 presidential bid, said his campaign’s request for protection was denied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas following 88 days of no response. Mayorkas stated, “I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F Kennedy Jr is not warranted at this time.”
Kennedy’s tweet went on to say that “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.”
While it is true that presidential candidates typically receive Secret Service protection within 14 days of requesting it, candidates rarely receive Secret Service protection more than 12 months before a presidential election. One notable exception was in 1979 when incumbent President Jimmy Carter preemptively granted Secret Service protection to RFK Jr’s uncle Ted Kennedy, at the moment when the Massachusetts Senator was considering challenging Carter for the 1980 Democratic nomination but had not yet launched his campaign.
Kennedy’s invocation of his father’s assassination - not to mention the assassination of his other uncle, John F. Kennedy - casts the Biden administration’s decision in a stark historical and political light.