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Featured Stories February 15,2024 | Independence Journal Editorial Team

Mayorkas Personally Denied RFK Jr. Secret Service Protection

Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas personally denied independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request for Secret Service protection, despite the candidate’s significant public support and reported threats to his safety. The decision, revealed through documents obtained by Judicial Watch, underscores what many see as a disturbing trend of politicization within the Biden administration’s approach to national security and candidate safety.

The documents, forced into public view by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, include a curt rejection letter from Mayorkas to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, dated July 21, 2023. In it, Mayorkas states, “In accordance with the authority set forth in Title 18, United States Code, Section 3056(a)(7), and in consultation with the Candidate Protection Advisory Committee, I decline to identify Candidate Kennedy for United States Secret Service protection at this time.”

This rejection came despite Kennedy’s repeated requests and detailed risk assessments submitted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), illustrating the serious threats to his personal safety. Kennedy, who initially entered the presidential race as a Democrat before switching to independent, has not been shy about the dangers he faces. In a televised interview, Kennedy detailed how a mentally ill individual recently managed to infiltrate his home, and at a campaign event, a man appeared armed and posing as a U.S. marshal.

The decision to deny Kennedy Secret Service protection is particularly galling given the tragic history of his family, with both his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy, falling victim to assassinations. It’s a history that, one would think, should prompt an abundance of caution rather than a bureaucratic shrug.

Judicial Watch’s President Tom Fitton condemned Mayorkas’s refusal as “despicable,” highlighting the lack of transparency and accountability in the process. The organization had to sue DHS to shine a light on the decision-making process, which has done little to reassure the public about the impartiality and integrity of security decisions under Mayorkas’s leadership.

The backdrop to this controversy is the House vote on Tuesday evening to impeach Mayorkas, primarily for his handling of immigration enforcement and allegations of dishonesty to Congress. The impeachment now goes to the Senate for a trial to determine if Mayorkas will be removed from office.

 

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