Senator Rand Paul calls for Secret Service protection for Kennedy

The Republican Senator posted his statement on X

Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has called for Secret Service protection for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

In a statement posted to X on September 29, the senator wrote, "If there is one American family that deserves heightened protection, it is the Kennedys. To President Biden: grant RFK Jr.'s request for Secret Service protection now! RFK Jr. renews calls for Secret Service protection after an armed man was arrested.”

On the same day, the non-profit organization, Judicial Watch, released a Secret Service document detailing their denial of Kennedy's multiple requests for Secret Service protection. The document, obtained through a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reveals that the Secret Service included inappropriate and irrelevant statements about Kennedy’s political positions: "Kennedy has received both support and criticism for his stance on vaccines and has been described as an anti-vaccine activist,” the document reads.

While Kennedy rejects the characterization that his scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry and public health regulators makes him an "anti-vaccine activist," a candidate's political positions have no legal bearing on the provision of Secret Service protection. 

According to the Secret Service’s official website, for a candidate to qualify for protection, the candidate must be “polling at 15% or more for 30 consecutive days in the most recent average of established national polls, as reflected by the Real Clear Politics National Average or a similar mechanism.” Kennedy meets and exceeds these requirements. 

Beyond the minimal requirements, it is historically relevant that the precedent of offering Secret Service protection to non-incumbent presidential candidates originated after the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, minutes after claiming victory in the 1968 California Democratic presidential primary at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Making matters more concerning, the Ambassador’s former location is a short drive from the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, where on September 15, 2023, a heavily armed man appeared at a Kennedy event asking to be taken to the candidate. He was arrested by Los Angeles Police and charged with felony weapons charges.  

Senator Paul's call for immediate Secret Service protection for Kennedy demonstrates that the security of high-profile political figures remains a non-partisan issue, as it has been for decades. Paul's statement places the clear onus on the Biden administration, which has thus far refused to do what every administration since the 1970s has done in providing security to all candidates, irrespective of party affiliation.

It is equally noteworthy that Senator Paul's statement came as it was reported that Kennedy will soon likely declare his intention to run for president as an independent rather than as a member of the Democratic Party.

Based on existing polling, this means that Kennedy is one of the three most popular candidates nationwide, alongside President Biden and former President Trump.