Robert F Kennedy Jr grumbled that the White House hasn’t granted him Secret Service protection after a heavily-armed man was arrested while posing as a member of his security detail.
Mr Kennedy recalled the incident on X, writing on Saturday: “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.”
He claimed the man was wearing “two shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition magazines” and was carrying a US Marshal badge on a lanyard and belt clip federal ID.
“He identified himself as a member of my security detail,” Mr Kennedy wrote, adding that his team isolated and detained the man until the Los Angeles Police Department arrived.
He added, “I’m still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection. I am the first presidential candidate in history to whom the White House has denied a request for protection.”
The Secret Service website outlines who they are able to protect, which includes, “major presidential and vice presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election.” Saturday marked 415 days until the general election in 2024.
The Daily Beast spoke to the LAPD, and identified the armed man as a “Trump-loving internet conspiracy theorist” named Adrian Paul Aispuro. The police reportedly arrested the 44-year-old on Friday and are holding him on federal charges — and $35,000 bail.
A TikTok video’s caption includes Mr Aispuro’s full name. The video captures a man with a pistol and a badge hanging from his hips. He is wearing the same Emergency Medical Service shirt and is boasting the same tattoos and facial hair as in Mr Kennedy’s photo, while saying nonsensical statements.
“Do your f***ing research on that last name and you’ll know who you’re fucking with,” the alleged offender said. “Let’s break some f***ing kneecaps. Let’s go for a ride, dog. Let’s f*** it up. I’m putting this planet on lockdown. Defcon One, regulators mount up, stay-at-home orders effective now. That’s what’s happening.”
He paused before continuing: “Take care of each other, protect the women and children. If I don’t make it back, call the f***ing president, your commander in chief, Donald J. Trump.”
The outlet confirmed with Mr Aispuro’s brother that he was being held in custody. Raymond Aispuro called Mr Kennedy’s claim “bulls***.”
He said that his brother is an unemployed emergency medical technician. Since he doesn’t have a car, he asked his brother for a ride to a one-time security job. This description also aligns with what Mr Kennedy wrote — that the man had “identified himself as a member of my security detail.”
“He told me that he was in communication with someone about a gig, like a private contract gig, a one-time deal, and he had to go that day to work it,” Raymond Aispuro said. “I don’t know who he talks to or what, I just get whatever vague information he gives me.”
“I really do think this is a situation where he got wrong information or he trusted someone he shouldn’t have,” he added, in defence of his brother.
According to The Daily Beast, Raymond Aispuro called his brother a “loner” who spends a lot of time watching online videos about aliens. Although the brothers rarely discuss politics, he said, the arrested Aispuro is a strong Trump supporter and acknowledged that neither of them have taken the Covid-19 vaccine.
This perspective seems to align with that of the Democratic hopeful. Although Mr Kennedy now denies ever having been an anti-vaxxer, his record shows that he has long been opposed to vaccines.
“He does want, he’s said it multiple times, Donald Trump to be president of the United States again to fix this country,” Raymond Aispuro told the outlet.
