The apparent attempted assassination of former President and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump was met with assertions that it underscores the need to extend Secret Service protection to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, a former Democratic presidential candidate turned third party, has been calling on the Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security to grant him protection for sometime, citing threats to his campaign and his family’s history in American politics.
On Sunday, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said the apparent attempt on Trump’s life should serve as proof that, in the current political climate, Kennedy is also in danger.
“It’s time for Biden to approve security for Mr. Kennedy immediately,” Brown said via social media.
The former U.S. Senator was joined in his calls by the Catholic Action League, which said that the Kennedy family is at particular risk of political violence.
“Given this incident and the history of the Kennedy family, the Biden Administration must reverse its decision to deny Secret Service protection to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,” they wrote in a Sunday statement.
Kennedy is the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who died at the hand of an assassin in 1968. His uncle, John F. Kennedy, was killed in Dallas five years earlier while serving as the 35th U.S. President. U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy received death threats for years and received protection more than a year before his participation in the 1980 presidential election.
In an email to supporters sent just days before shots were taken at Trump, the Kennedy campaign called the Biden decision to deny him coverage “appalling.”
“Especially when you know Secret Service protection for Presidential candidates was expanded after the assassination of Bobby’s father, RFK. Every time our application for Secret Service protection has been denied, apologists for the Department of Homeland Security said it was because protection isn’t guaranteed until 120 days before the election,” they wrote.
“That actually isn’t true – many candidates got it a year or more in advance. Anyway, the election is now less than 120 days away. Still no Secret Service,” they continued.
According to Kennedy’s campaign, the Biden Administration has denied his requests for Secret Service coverage at least five times.
The campaign claims it’s President Joe Biden making the ultimate decision about their candidate’s security, and that it’s a “purely political” one.
