Politics is often characterized as a murky arena, rife with underhanded deals and attempts to tarnish opponents' reputations.
Negative attack ads, voter suppression tactics, and gerrymandering are just a few of the unethical strategies employed to gain an unfair advantage at the polls. However, the Biden administration has been accused of taking these tactics to an unprecedented level.
The administration has been implicated in a multi-pronged legal attack on the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. This attack is allegedly being carried out by left-leaning Democrat District Attorneys in New York and Georgia, as well as a special prosecutor bringing federal cases. Moreover, the administration has reportedly denied independent presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the Secret Service protection typically afforded to all major presidential candidates.
Earlier this month, Kennedy issued a public plea for help in convincing the Biden administration to provide him with Secret Service security. This plea came after an intruder broke into his house twice, returning after being released by the police the first time. Kennedy stated that he has faced multiple security threats both on the campaign trail and at his home.
In a post on social media platform X dated May 5, Kennedy included a petition asking for support for signatures on a simple sentence: I agree RFK Jr. should receive Secret Service protection.
The Kennedy family has a tragic history of political violence and assassination. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald. Five years later, in June 1968, JFKs younger brother and RFK Jr.'s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Los Angeles after winning the California Democratic presidential primary. He was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian man with Jordanian citizenship.
In a campaign video shared on social media, Kennedy recounted another terrifying incident that occurred last month. An armed intruder, using false US Marshall badges and a fake federal ID, attempted to approach him at a speech in Los Angeles. Kennedy pointed out that this incident occurred "a short distance from where my dad was assassinated."
Kennedy noted that "every presidential candidate since the 1970s who has asked for Secret Service protection has received it," listing a number of presidential candidates who received such protection. He highlighted that former President Barack Obama received Secret Service protection two years before the election. However, Kennedy stated, "President Biden has made the historic decision to deny me a Secret Service detail. Im the only one in history whose request has ever been denied.
Kennedy expressed concern not for his own safety, but for the safety of his family and bystanders if another serious attempt is made on his life. He also voiced his concern over the "weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies to serve political agendas."
Kennedy called the decision to deny him protection a "naked political calculation" based on the Secret Service's conclusion that he was at a "heightened threat level." He recalled that during his first week as attorney general, his father had told all the Department of Justice senior prosecutors that he would not tolerate any politicization of law enforcement.
In October, Kennedy faced another threat when a man was arrested twice after attempting to break into his home in Los Angeles. In July, CNN fact-checked Kennedys request for Secret Service protection, noting that only major candidates in a presidential race usually receive such protection. However, Kennedy is now polling at 13 percent as a legitimate independent contender in a three-way national race, according to NBC News.
Despite the apparent security risks Kennedy faces, and his familys tragic history, the Biden administration has not made provisions to protect him from harm. By refusing to provide Secret Service protection to Kennedy, the administration may be attempting to push him out of the race due to concerns about security or the inability to pay for private security.
Kennedy told Fox News in March that he had already incurred $1.4 million in expenses for private security. However, if anything were to happen to this presidential contender, whose family has already lost two members to political assassins, the blame would lie squarely on the administrations shoulders.
The political arena has always been fraught with underhanded tactics and dirty tricks. However, this is the first time an administration has been accused of risking a mans life for a share of 13 points in the polls.
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