Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino told a Republican meeting on Capitol Hill that the federal agency refused a request from Donald Trump to provide enhanced security at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida because it was classified as a “nightclub.” Bongino made the remarks during an unofficial gathering of GOP lawmakers investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
Mr. Bongino told the group that a “direct source” told him about the Secret Service rebuttal but did not name this source. He explained that the request was refused because Mar-a-Lago is a “nightclub,” prompting a debate about what would happen if a nightclub owner ran for President. Bongino said he told the source that the Secret Service should secure “whatever the hell they tell you to secure.”
The US Secret Service (USSS) has not commented on the allegations, but it is known that the agency has provided protection to the former President at his Florida estate in the past, and beefed this up following the Pennsylvania incident. After the shooting, the Service posted a note on its website announcing “enhanced security measures” and traffic re-routing in the area around Trump’s estate. It said these measures would be in place 24 hours per day until the November election.
Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy, who suspended his independent Presidential campaign to back Donald Trump, has had his protection revoked because his status has altered, and he is no longer officially considered a candidate. President Biden requested extra security for Kennedy after the Pennsylvania shooting, but a spokesperson recently told the press, “Mr. Kennedy no longer has USSS.”
Kennedy, however, said he was not terminating his campaign when he appeared alongside Donald Trump at an Arizona rally. He pledged to remove his name from the ballot in any state where polls suggest his vote could be influential. Speaking in Arizona, Kennedy stated that he had no realistic path to victory, and he could no longer ask staff and volunteers to work toward an unachievable aim.
He emphasized that his political focus was on “saving kids” from processed foods and what he considers health-threatening vaccines.
