Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should receive Secret Service protection “immediately.”
Trump made the call on Truth Social for the presidential opponent following a failed attempt on his life at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday that left one attendee dead and two seriously injured. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has previously denied Kennedy’s request for Secret Service protection six times, leading his campaign to spend millions on private security, a Kennedy staffer told National Review.
“In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection — immediately,” the former president wrote. “Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!”
Both Kennedy’s father, Robert Kennedy, and his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, were assassinated.
The Kennedy campaign filed a fresh request for protection in early June, a security consultant working for the campaign told Politico.
“DHS has received the request for protection and will review it with due consideration,” a DHS spokesperson said Sunday, according to Politico. “The review process relies on a thorough Secret Service threat assessment and a recommendation from a bipartisan Congressional Advisory Committee. Ultimately, based on that assessment and the recommendation of the advisory committee, the Secretary makes a determination.”
A bipartisan group of House members announced on Sunday that they plan to file legislation to enhance Secret Service protections for Trump and Biden while also providing a security detail for Kennedy, Axios reported. Though enhanced security has bipartisan support now, House Democrats introduced in April legislation that would have stripped Trump of his Secret Service protection due to his felony convictions.
The Secret Service will give closed-door briefings to lawmakers in the coming days, Politico reported Monday. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana pledged on Saturday that the House will conduct a “full investigation” of the assassination attempt.
The Kennedy campaign and DHS did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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