Secret Service director denies ‘Credible’ threats for DNC, RNC

A deep-seated concern has taken hold of some of President Donald Trump's supporters following an announcement by the director of the Secret Service.

The director let it be known that their agency doesn't consider there to be any major threats to either of the primary presidential candidates, according to The Epoch Times, sparking questions about whether the former president is being properly protected.

The Events

According to the director of the U.S. Secret Service, there is no credible evidence to suggest that there is a direct threat to either the Republican or Democratic national conventions in the upcoming weeks.

Kim Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, stated to ABC News on Sunday that "there's nothing specific and nothing credible out there right now" as her agency prepares to safeguard both conventions.

The Republican National Convention (RNC) will start on July 15 in Milwaukee, while the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will begin on August 19 in Chicago.

Cheatle also stated that the Secret Service is currently monitoring any potential threats from domestic or foreign terrorism in anticipation of the tandem events.

From the Director

“I think we have to make sure that we are assessing the risk for both of those, as well as any other type of threat that may come at us, whether it’s a lone gunman, an organized attack, or an organized group,” Cheatle said.

In response to the prospect of protests, Ms. Cheatle said her agency's local police will “respect the right for everybody to be able to express their First Amendment rights,” and welcome people to come out and express those rights.

“Where we have concerns is if those potential demonstrations turned violent, and then appropriate action would be taken,” she said.

Threats in Motion

Questions about how it could be possible that two of the most polarizing figures in politics today could be completely safe at some of their most publicized events of the year have only grown in the face of public threats.

Some pro-Palestinian organizations have stated that they will protest in Chicago regardless of whether they are able to obtain a permit from the city, and several are organizing protests for the Democratic convention.

A coalition of groups said it will “be bringing the demands of the people within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention in August” and that it will “be mobilizing thousands of people from across the country to demand an end to U.S. funding” for Israel during the monthslong conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.

The Requests

“We will go and we will protest without a permit because this is our enshrined right under the constitution,” Tarek Khalil, of American Muslims for Palestine, told a local ABC affiliate station in Chicago in May. “We have every right to do so.”

In April, the coalition wrote a letter to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson requesting that demonstrators be permitted to be "within sight and sound of the United Center."

This request was made after the Chicago Department of Transportation denied them a permit to be in the vicinity of the area.

Their request was denied due to safety and transportation concerns. An alternative protest route that is more than three miles distant was proposed by the Chicago Department of Transportation.