Using the Secret Service to subsidize speech

Security in political campaigns should come from private funds.

President Obama and Michelle Obama flanked by Secret Service agents, 2017 (PHOTO: public domain).

A few hours after the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, I saw Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s tweet saying independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) deserved Secret Service protection.

President Biden had already granted it, and this was announced on Monday.

In one sense, I agree with the decision. Even if I ran for President as an independent or third-party candidate and were polling equally with RFK, I’d say RFK would deserve protection more than I do. His name, and the fame attached to it, would be the only reason, but it’s sufficient.

In another sense, however, my skin crawls. At the core, what is happening here?

When Trump and now RFK travel and speak at rallies, the taxpayers are on the hook for their security. We’re giving them a free platform in the most literal way “platform” can be used, short of actually…