President Biden on Monday finally directed the US Secret Service to provide a protection detail to third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after multiple requests from the candidate were denied.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on July 15 that after the July 13 attempt on Donald Trump, the president authorized additional Secret Service protection for the Republican nominee and a protective detail for Kennedy.
For months, the longshot presidential candidate’s campaign urged the president to provide Secret Service protection, sending multiple requests after several incidents occurred on the campaign trail.
While Kennedy may be a longshot to win the White House, his campaign events are drawing large crowds.
A man was arrested in October after trespassing on Kennedy’s Los Angeles home twice. In September, an armed man impersonating a federal law enforcement officer was arrested outside of a campaign event in Los Angeles.
In a statement on social media, Kennedy thanked the president for finally providing him with Secret Service protection. He also thanked the private security firm that, for the past 15 months, had been protecting the candidate, whose father and uncle were both assassinated.
Secretary Mayorkas claimed that President Biden had directed the Secret Service to protect Kennedy both before and after the attempted assassination of Trump.
By law, the US Secret Service is required to protect every major party presidential and VP candidate and their families for the 120 days before the November election. However, Secret Service protection for third-party candidates is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Kennedy, whose campaign paid the security firm Gavin de Becker & Associates millions to protect the candidate, said the expense was limiting RFK’s ability to campaign.
Following the attempted assassination against Trump, New York Reps. Mike Lawler and Ritchie Torres announced that they would introduce legislation to enhance Secret Service protection for Biden, Trump, and Kennedy.