Speaking before the House Homeland Security Committee, Johnson said he was concerned that demonstrations at the events could get out of hand.
In an interview with Reuters following his testimony, Johnson said he knew of no specific or credible threat to either convention but that it was important to be prepared.
Johnson said the Department of Homeland Security would be sending more than 3,000 personnel to each convention.
Earlier this month, a group of former top government officials came out to say they sided with Apple in its refusal to help the FBI crack into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was among those siding with the world’s most profitable company. He argued that developing software to weaken the iPhone’s existing protections would be like “creating a bacterial biological weapon” that could also be used by criminals.
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