Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's family is reeling after learning that their trusted bodyguard was busted on federal drug-trafficking charges, leaving them 'alarmed' and taking swift action against him.
Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife Ruthann Rankin, 38, were charged last month with conspiracy and possession of large quantities of narcotics delivered via the US mail. Authorities claim to have discovered a stash of illicit drugs at their western Ohio home, including counterfeit OxyContin pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDMA, and steroids.
The shocking revelation has raised eyebrows among Ramaswamy's supporters, who are now questioning how this could have happened under his security firm's watch. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck explained that Salsburey was hired by the firm to provide protection services for Ramaswamy's family but was subsequently removed from their security detail after being informed of the charges.
Meanwhile, Rankin has been let go from her job as a schoolteacher in nearby Urbana and placed on unpaid leave while the investigation unfolds. Salsburey had undergone multiple background checks by his employer, the FBI, and local authorities before being hired but still managed to fly under the radar until now.
Ramaswamy's camp maintains that they take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold those accused accountable. However, the incident has undoubtedly cast a shadow over Ramaswamy's presidential campaign, which is gaining momentum ahead of his Republican primary in May.
As Ramaswamy prepares for a general election in early November, this latest development raises questions about the vetting process used by his security firm and whether it was thorough enough to prevent such a scandal.
Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife Ruthann Rankin, 38, were charged last month with conspiracy and possession of large quantities of narcotics delivered via the US mail. Authorities claim to have discovered a stash of illicit drugs at their western Ohio home, including counterfeit OxyContin pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDMA, and steroids.
The shocking revelation has raised eyebrows among Ramaswamy's supporters, who are now questioning how this could have happened under his security firm's watch. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck explained that Salsburey was hired by the firm to provide protection services for Ramaswamy's family but was subsequently removed from their security detail after being informed of the charges.
Meanwhile, Rankin has been let go from her job as a schoolteacher in nearby Urbana and placed on unpaid leave while the investigation unfolds. Salsburey had undergone multiple background checks by his employer, the FBI, and local authorities before being hired but still managed to fly under the radar until now.
Ramaswamy's camp maintains that they take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold those accused accountable. However, the incident has undoubtedly cast a shadow over Ramaswamy's presidential campaign, which is gaining momentum ahead of his Republican primary in May.
As Ramaswamy prepares for a general election in early November, this latest development raises questions about the vetting process used by his security firm and whether it was thorough enough to prevent such a scandal.
This is just great, another one bites the dust... I mean, not literally, Vivek's family is definitely reeling from this one 
. 43-year-old Justin Salsburey gets busted on federal drug-trafficking charges and suddenly his whole life becomes a bad movie plot 
. Who knew his multiple background checks wouldn't be enough to weed out a potential convict? 
I mean, come on, folks! You'd think with the FBI involved, they could've gotten it right 
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. I feel for her, but at the same time, can't we all just take a deep breath and hope she gets to enjoy some quality time with her therapist? 
Anyway, this is definitely a shadow cast over Vivek's campaign... who knows if he'll be able to shake it off 
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OMG u guys!! I'm low-key freaking out rn! 
like what even is this?!?! And now everyone's talkin about how this could've happened under his security firm's watch 
I mean, I'm no expert but it seems like Ramaswamy's camp is tryin to spin this as some kinda "we take safety seriously" vibe 
but I'm not buyin' it 
... i mean, how does one even get away with that for so long? 
the fact that he flew under the radar after multiple background checks is just mind-blowing 
. and now his family's getting dragged down because of it 
. i guess it's all about accountability now 
... how did they not catch on sooner? 
. I mean, I'm all for keeping our communities safe, but at what cost? This is just another example of how we need to be more vigilant about vetting those around us, especially when it comes to sensitive roles like security. It's like, how did someone who was supposed to be protecting Vivek Ramaswamy's family end up being involved in this kind of stuff?! 
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. Not looking good for him... 
. I'm not sure if it'll have a major impact, but it's definitely something he'll need to address in the coming weeks.
. It'll be interesting to see how Ramaswamy's team responds to this and what changes they put in place to prevent something like this from happening again 
it's gotta make you wonder what else might be going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. I'm all for holding people accountable, but at the same time I feel bad for Ramaswamy and his family who are already under scrutiny with this campaign 
. maybe this is an opportunity to take a closer look at how security firms vet their employees? 