Former Secret Service agent says ‘number of factors’ behind RFK Jr.’s abrupt removal of Secret Service protection – Washington Examiner
Former Secret Service agent Bill Gage discussed the reasons behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s abrupt loss of Secret Service protection following the suspension of his presidential campaign. During an interview on Fox News, Gage highlighted that the decision to end protection was not unilateral and involved a process that includes the Secretary of Homeland Security and Congress. He explained that several factors contribute to such decisions, including crowd size, public polling, intelligence reports, social media mentions, and any recent threats against the individual. Gage emphasized that these elements are considered when assessing the necessity of security details for figures like Kennedy.
Former Secret Service agent says ‘number of factors’ behind RFK Jr.’s abrupt removal of Secret Service protection
Former Secret Service agent Bill Gage said there are several factors behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his third-party presidential bid last week, losing his security protection.
Fox News host Neil Cavuto asked Gage about the “immediate” nature of the withdrawal of Kennedy’s protection following the campaign suspension after a hard-fought effort to finally acquire security.
“Secret Service protection for Robert F Kennedy, Jr. ended when he pulled himself out of the campaign. It seemed fairly immediate. What do you think of that? Is that wise?” Cavuto asked Gage on Your World with Neil Cavuto.
“Well, Neil, during my time in the service, I would see emails back and forth from the different sections about this person getting protection or protections discontinued for this person. And there is a process for that that involves the secretary of homeland security and members of Congress,” Gage said.
The former agent noted that this would not be a “unilateral decision” from the Secret Service director.
“It’s based on a number of factors: crowd size and how they’re polling. … Intelligence is another one. How much is this person being mentioned on the socials? Is their name popping up? Have there been threats? When was the last threat? Their visibility?” Gage analyzed.
He added, “There’s a whole number of factors that are used in these decision-making processes. … We just have to trust that these decisions were made based on a variety of factors and not made with any political considerations at all.”
On Friday, Kennedy announced that he was suspending his campaign but “not terminating” it. He also announced that he planned to remain on the ballot in some noncompetitive states. In addition to the campaign suspension, he endorsed the Republican nominee after the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, refused to meet with him.
Kennedy’s campaign had made numerous requests for Secret Service protection from the Biden administration during his presidential campaign but did not receive protection until President Joe Biden directed the agency to protect him following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Trump had also publicly called for Kennedy to get protection as a candidate.
Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, President John F. Kennedy, were high-profile politicians who were assassinated in the 1960s.
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