Independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed his frustration at the potential for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley to receive protection from the Secret Service.
“While I’m happy she’ll be protected and publicly supported her request, double standards abound,” Kennedy wrote on X on Friday. “My campaign first requested Secret Service protection in May 2023 with a 63 page declaration. We still have a current request pending. My request is the first time in 55 years a candidate has ever been denied. The Biden administration is the sole outlier to turn down a request for Secret Service coverage.”
Since launching his campaign in April, Kennedy has sent three requests for Secret Service protection, each of which has been denied. The latest rejection came in December, when Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote he consulted a congressional advisory committee made up of the speaker of the House, the House minority leader, the Senate majority leader, the Senate minority leader, and the Senate sergeant-at-arms.
“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,” Mayorkas wrote in a letter obtained by the Deseret News.
A congressional advisory committee voted in favor of granting Haley Secret Service protection, citing threats she’s facing as a Republican presidential candidate. Haley applied earlier this month, and Mayorkas will make the final decision.
Kennedy has criticized the Biden administration over Mayorkas’s rejections, stating he’s received death threats during his campaign. The independent candidates’ father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, former President John F. Kennedy were assassinated while in office.
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Most candidates in modern presidential primaries have not received Secret Service protection. According to government guidelines, “major presidential and vice presidential candidates” are “eligible” for protection.
“Refusing me Secret Service protection is a way to drain my campaign funds and stop the movement we’re building together. They want us out of the race by any means necessary. This is blatant election interference,” Kennedy added. “Let me be clear: I have immense respect for the Secret Service. This corruption is coming from much higher up.”
