RFK Jr.’s Secret Service Claims Are Ridiculous
Biden didn't deny him access.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is at it again. This time, he falsely claimed that he had been denied security services that he was entitled to as a major candidate. The claims, which RJK Jr. made on Twitter, are just another example of his long-standing failures to stick to the truth.
In a post released Friday, July 28th, the anti-vaccine and conspiracy-minded Democratic candidate stated:
Since the assassination of my father in 1968, candidates for president are provided Secret Service protection. But not me. Typical turn around 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. Secretary Mayorkas: "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.
While I can’t deny the veracity of Kennedy’s claims that he spoke with Secretary Mayorkas, much of the context surrounding the nature of secret service protection for presidential candidates is conveniently missing.
It is also worth noting that RJK Jr.’s reference to 14 and 88 days is almost certainly a reference to the Nazi phrase 1488, which references the racist phrase “heil Hitler.”
But more than just a racist appeal, the claim ignores the actual process for determining which candidates receive protection is laid out in 18 United States Code § 3056, which authorizes the secret service to protect presidential candidates and their families within 120 days of the general election. Needless to say, we are not even close to 120 days away from the general election.
To further add to this, the statute does not guarantee eligibility to any presidential candidate. Rather, the statute authorizes the protection of “major presidential and vice presidential candidates.”
As the Secret Service notes, that process is dictated by the Secretary of Homeland Security after consultation with an advisory committee. That committee includes leadership from both the House and Senate minority and majority leadership. It is a bipartisan entity.
Claims by RFK Jr. and others that there is some sort of attempt to deny his security that he is somehow entitled to are blatantly false. RJK Jr. is neither within the allotted period that the statute authorizes nor is he in any position to assert himself as a major candidate by the established criteria.
While RFK Jr. may be eligible for such protection later, he clearly not eligible now. It is absurd for any candidate to raise a fuss about a process that they clearly either don’t understand or are actively misrepresenting. I am not sure which one it is, but RJK Jr’s protests are just another reason why he should not be running for President.