The Republican National Committee (RNC) has reportedly sent a letter to the Secret Service asking them to move protesters further away from the Milwaukee convention site in July.
The three-page letter, first reported by The New York Times, objected to a plan that had a specific area where protesters could demonstrate.
Todd R. Steggerda, author of the letter and counsel for the RNC, said people attending the convention should pass by protesters on their way to the Fiserv Forum, where the event is being held.
The Hill contacted the RNC for a copy of the letter, but the Times reported that Steggerda was referring to the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. He said “forced proximity” between the groups who have “different ideologies” will increase the risk of verbal or physical altercations.
The Secret Service’s proposed security plan would place protesters in Pere Marquette Park, a small public park a quarter-mile from the convention center, the letter said.
“Congregating demonstrators in a park that is effectively enclosed by the two streets that thousands of attendees will use to enter the convention grounds will only increase tension — rather than prevent and disperse it,” Steggerda wrote.
The Hill has contacted the Secret Service for comment, but the Times reported that Alexi Worley, a Secret Service spokesperson, said the agency is “not formally in receipt” of the letter and said that if the agency receives the letter , she will. “respond through the right channels.”
The Times said it received the letter, addressed to Secret Service Director Kimberly A. Cheatle, “via personal delivery.”
The RNC did not suggest another location for protesters to gather, but said the Secret Service should expand its security perimeter to move protesters further away from the arena.
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