Armed man arrested impersonating a US Marshal at a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign event.

 

Robert F. Kennedy. New York Post/Getty.

An armed man was arrested impersonating a US Marshal at a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign event in California. New York Post. The man was armed with two pistols and had extra ammo, an US Marshal service badge and a federal id and claimed to be a member of RFK Jr's security detail. He was spotted and detained by Gavin de Becker and Associates, an elite protection firm RFK hired due to fears for his life. Kennedy's family has a history of political assassinations as both RFK's uncle, President John Kennedy, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr, were cut down by assassins. RFK Jr has requested secret service protection but has been denied. The man arrested in the incident, Adrian Paul Aispuro, 44, was charged with illegally carrying a concealed weapon. 

I’m very grateful that alert and fast-acting protectors from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) spotted and detained an armed man who attempted to approach me at my Hispanic Heritage speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. The man, wearing two shoulder… pic.twitter.com/vvJc0Gtk4o

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 16, 2023

 My Comment:

This was an apparent assassination attempt at the only serious candidate opposing Joe Biden in the 2024 race so I think it is absolutely worth a blog post about. Had his security team not been on the ball the man arrested in this case would have had the opportunity to do so at least. Given who RFK Jr is and what has happened in his family before it would not even have been surprising. 

Are we sure this was an assassination attempt? Not really. Mr. Aispuro may have had other motivations to come to a RFK Jr event dressed as a US Marshal while claiming to be part of his security detail and carrying two weapons. One struggles to think of what those motivations might be but perhaps it was the product of a delusional mind, or perhaps he was just trying to figure out what he could get away with. 

Would Aispuro's plan worked, if he was indeed trying to kill RFK Jr? It probably had a better chance than most. If RFK Jr wasn't already paranoid about being assassination, with good reason it appears, he would not have had the strict security that he had. If he had been going after some of the minor candidates on the GOP side and their hired security was not on the ball I think he could have gotten close enough to the candidate to attempt the assassination. That it failed is less of a condemnation of his supposed plan and more of an accomplishment by his security team. 

I do think that out of the candidates running only Trump and Biden face a bigger assassination risk than RFK Jr. RFK has views that are outside the mainstream for many people and he is hated by a large group of people because of it. He also has an unique history of assassination in his family. And he has made enemies with the powers that be in this country. It is not surprising that someone apparently tried to take him down, it is surprising that someone waited this long to do so. 

RFK Jr has requested Secret Service protection due to the threats on his life and has been denied. The Biden administration says he does not qualify but it's not without precedent. Barack Obama asked for and received Secret Service protection as far back as 2007 during his run for the Presidency in 2008. I don't think it's arguable that RFK Jr. is facing similar threats. 

I think it's obviously politics keeping RFK Jr from getting Secret Service protection. If I am being charitable it's because the Biden administration wants to legitimize his candidacy as a serious challenger to Joe Biden. If I am being uncharitable, which is a good idea when it comes to Joe Biden and his administration, they care not at all if he is assassination and would welcome it if it were to happen. 

As for RFK Jr himself, he remains a long shot as the Democratic candidate. He never really had much of a chance given the media bias against his beliefs and the fact that he tends to appeal more to old school blue dog Democrats and independents than the core progressives that make up the Democratic Party in 2024. He has been out of the media for awhile now and this incident will probably do little to revive his campaign.