By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Marshals Service is providing security to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an email seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed, in what sources described as an unusual arrangement.
The arrangement was disclosed in a February 12 email, in which the HHS Office of the Inspector General said it was winding down its protective services operations. The email said Attorney General Pam Bondi would arrange security for Kennedy going forward.
“After over four decades of providing for the personal protection of the Secretary and other high-ranking HHS officials when necessary – both nationally and internationally, day and night, through a pandemic, and other obstacles – OI’s protective operations are coming to an end,” wrote Christian Schrank, the deputy inspector general for investigations at HHS OIG.
A Marshals spokesperson referred questions to the Justice Department. Bondi in a statement confirmed the arrangement.
“My friend Secretary Kennedy is a valued and respected leader in President Trump’s Cabinet who will be provided the proper security protection,” Bondi said.
A spokesperson for the HHS OIG declined to comment.
The Marshals Service, which has about 3,900 federal agents, serves as the enforcement arm for the federal court system.
Its agents protect judges and court buildings, and the agency also houses and transports prisoners and manages the sale of assets seized in criminal forfeiture proceedings.
It is sometimes called on to provide security to people involved in court or congressional proceedings such as witnesses, prosecutors and judges who may be facing threats.
The attorney general is also authorized to assign agents to provide security to other officials, such as cabinet secretaries.
During Trump’s first term, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos received a protective detail from the Marshals.
The assignment to protect Kennedy comes at the same time that the Marshals Service is also facing increased responsibilities. It is one of many law enforcement agencies deputized by the Department of Homeland Security to assist with immigration enforcement – an area that is not historically part of the Justice Department’s purview.
Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the HHS OIG ceased its protective detail in part because of the time and staffing that was involved in providing 24-hour security to Kennedy.
Kennedy travels frequently and owns multiple properties, including in Los Angeles, New York and outside Boston.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone)
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