Former Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Secret Service protection has ended following the suspension of his campaign, the agency confirmed in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Kennedy announced the suspension of his campaign in red and major swing states on Friday, endorsing former President Donald Trump. Kennedy’s press secretary, Stefanie Spear, told CBS News on Sunday that the former candidate “no longer has USSS protection.”
Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Sunday that “Mr. Kennedy is no longer a protectee of the US Secret Service,” without providing additional details.
Kennedy’s campaign struggled to secure Secret Service protection since entering the race in April last year. After months of requests, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on July 15 that Kennedy would receive protection.
The approval, at the time, came days after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. The attack, which resulted in the death of former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, also left Trump with a bullet-grazed ear and severely injured two others in the crowd.
Following the attack, Trump called for Kennedy to “immediately” receive protection from the Secret Service in a post on Truth Social.
“We are in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment. The United States’ Secret Service, we — including the FBI and our other partners across the federal government — take the threats very seriously and adjust security measures as warranted, maintaining the safety and security of the president, the former president in their campaign events is one our most vital priorities,” Mayorkas said at the time. “In light of the weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection for Robert Kennedy Jr.”
Since suspending his campaign, Kennedy confirmed Sunday on Fox News that he will now be “actively” campaigning for Trump.
The Kennedy campaign did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
