The Secret Service reportedly ordered officials to ignore a security request from White House contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after an agency analysis.
Judicial Watch announced it got 63 pages of records from the Secret Service in response to its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit alleging staff were ordered not to respond to Kennedy's head of security.
One message from Kennedy's protection company, Gavin de Becker Associates, was first forwarded to Deputy Assistant Director William Glady and then to Assistant Director Michael Plati as an "FYSA" (for your situational awareness). Plati replied, "No response is required to be given to this individual IMO [in my opinion]."
Glady replied, "Agree."
Plati then followed up with, "Nor should it."
Glady responded, "All parties are aware."
Plati answered, "Thank you."
Kennedy, who polls say could take enough votes away from President Joe Biden to help elect former President Donald Trump, previously had been denied protection by the agency.
New emails cited by Judicial Watch suggest the decision to provide or deny protection is in the hands of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and congressional leaders, not the Secret Service, the Washington Examiner reported.
In one document titled "Campaign 2024 — Candidate Protection," the first sentence reads: "The Secret Service does not determine who qualifies for protection, nor is the Secret Service empowered to independently initiate candidate protection."
The Secret Service ultimately responded with a five-page assessment that seemed to dismiss the threat potential to the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed when he ran for president in 1968, and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said the candidate got a potentially dangerous runaround from the Biden team.
"These documents confirm the bureaucratic and political runaround the Biden administration went through to ultimately deny Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the requested Secret Service protection," Fitton stated.
"The Biden administration's refusal to provide Secret Service protection to Mr. Kennedy is dangerous and vindictive. Congress would do well to follow up on these disturbing documents uncovered by Judicial Watch's FOIA investigation and lawsuit."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.