DHS denies protection to presidential candidate for 3rd time

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week denied US Secret Service protection to Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr for the third time.

In a letter obtained by Deseret News, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said providing Kennedy with a protection detail was “not warranted.”

“I have consulted with an advisory committee composed of the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, and the Senate Sergeant at Arms,” Mayorkas wrote. “Based on the facts and the recommendation of the advisory committee, I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not warranted at this time.”

This is the third time Kennedy has been denied a Secret Service detail since he launched his presidential campaign earlier this year. Upon request, administrations over the last 55 years have customarily assigned Secret Service protection to major presidential candidates before the election, with some candidates like Barack Obama receiving protection over a year in advance.

But Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has denied Kennedy’s three requests despite the Secret Service itself deeming the candidate at elevated risk for “adverse attention.” The candidate’s uncle President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in office and his father, former Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated while running for president.

One factor which has drawn negative coverage for Kennedy is his stance on vaccines. The candidate’s call for childhood vaccines to be subjected to pre-licensing safety tests has drawn ire from media and political operatives who have branded him an “anti-vaxxer” and made him part of the most vilified group in the world.

“Kennedy’s family history, perceived controversial stance on vaccines, and his status as a challenger to President Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination elevates his risk for adverse attention,” said a Secret Service security assessment earlier this year.

In that assessment, a section titled “behaviors of interest” makes reference to an individual who "sent inappropriate communications to Kennedy.” This turned out to be Jonathan Macht, a man who twice trespassed on Kennedy’s home property in October while he was at home. Macht sent Kennedy 435 emails over a three-month period, the candidate told Fox News Digital, which included one about Kennedy receiving a bullet to his brain.

Kennedy’s hired private security firm, Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA), apprehended Macht both times and transferred him to LAPD custody. 

In September, Kennedy narrowly escaped possible assassination by a heavily armed man named Adrian Aispuro who posed as a US Marshal and attempted to use his perceived authority to gain a private meeting with Kennedy. The man’s felony charges were downgraded to a misdemeanor and he was released on $10,000 bail.

Kennedy’s campaign made a third formal request to Secretary Mayorkas in October for Secret Service protection, citing the security incidents and the Secret Service’s own assessment, while also listing the many presidential candidates in recent decades who were granted early protection details.

“Every administration for 55-years afforded early Secret Service protection to candidates who requested protection. Your refusal is the sole outlier, making the Biden Administration the only one to refuse a protection request,” wrote Team Kennedy (emphasis original).

“Given all that is known, please reconsider your decision to refuse Secret Service protection to presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and allow protection to commence as soon as possible.”