Nikki Haley may be getting Secret Service protection and another candidate for president is not happy about it.
The Associated Press reported that “a group of top congressional leaders has recommended that Republican candidate Nikki Haley receive protection from the U.S. Secret Service after she reported a growing number of threats during her presidential campaign, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The committee of leaders voted in favor of granting the protective detail after considering the seriousness of the threats and reviewing national polling data, the person said.
The recommendation has been forwarded to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will make the final decision. The Secret Service already has several standby security teams and the protective detail could be dispatched to protect the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador on the same day the authorization is approved, the person said.”
According to the law, the Secret Service is obligated to provide protection to the presidential and vice presidential candidates and their families 120 days prior to a general election. However, the Department of Homeland Security has noted in its 2024 budget outline that requests for candidate protection have been submitted earlier than before.
Haley’s protection is not sitting well with Robert F. Kennedy. Last summer, after deeming him “annoying” because he was polling in double figures against him, Joe Biden’s administration refused to give the son and nephew of two famously assassinated presidential figures Secret Service.
At the time, RFK Jr. slammed the White House, tweeting,
“Since the assassination of my father in 1968, candidates for president are provided Secret Service protection. But not me.
Typical turnaround time for pro forma protection requests from presidential candidates is 14-days. After 88-days of no response and after several follow-ups by our campaign, the Biden Administration just denied our request. Secretary Mayorkas: “I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F Kennedy Jr is not warranted at this time.”
Our campaign’s request included a 67-page report from the world’s leading protection firm, detailing unique and well established security and safety risks aside from commonplace death threats.”
The independent candidate expressed frustration at not receiving Secret Service protection. “While I’m happy she’ll be protected and publicly supported her request, double standards abound,” Kennedy said on Friday.
“My campaign first requested Secret Service protection in May 2023 with a 63 page declaration. We still have a current request pending,” Kennedy continued. “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.”
Kennedy also claimed that a reason Biden refuses to give him protection “is a way to drain my campaign funds and stop the movement we’re building together.”
It’s not a surprise that Biden would prevent Kennedy from being protected from assassination. Democrats believe he is a “spoiler” in the general election and have been working desperately to push him out of the race.
It’s clear that if Haley deserves protection, so does RFK Jr. He has the highest approval rating among all candidates running. In a poll that included Kennedy in the race, Trump garnered 41 percent to Biden’s 33 percent, while Kennedy raked in 18 percent, which means that he would likely qualify to make the debate stage in the general election.
