OAN’s Abril Elfi
1:07 PM – Saturday, April 13, 2024
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has threatened to take legal action against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after being denied secret service protection for the fifth time.
Department Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas concluded that Kennedy does not require Secret Service protection, in a letter to the Kennedy campaign dated March 28th. This decision was made after conferring with an advisory committee that included the Senate Sergeant at Arms and prominent members of Congress.
Kennedy’s lawyer, Aaron Siri, responded to Mayorkas’ series of denials in a letter on March 29th, which was posted to X, labeling them “capricious, an abuse of discretion, and clearly politically motivated.”
In the letter, Mayorkas and the DHS are accused of “ignoring the real risks” to Kennedy, citing an instance at a campaign event that involved a guest carrying two loaded handguns.
The Secret Service has extended protection to presidential and vice-presidential candidates since the 1968 assassination of Kennedy’s father and then-Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy.
Kennedy Jr. is also the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, who was killed in office earlier that decade.
According to the Secret Service website, requirements for protection include declaring oneself in public, being the target of “general or specific threats” and, in the case of independent and third-party candidates, polling at 20% or higher in the Real Clear Politics national average for a minimum of 30 days.
Kennedy’s national average for Real Clear Polling as of Thursday was approximately 11%.
According to the website, the DHS Secretary likewise has “broad discretion” in choosing which applicants meet the requirements.
Given that Kennedy was running against President Joe Biden, Siri accused Mayorkas of refusing to provide protection and vowed to hold the secretary personally responsible if the candidate suffered harm.
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