WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) — Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson and Donald Trump on Thursday were cleared to receive federal protective teams from the U.S. Secret Service, the chief of the Homeland Security department said.
Secretary Jeh Johnson authorized the GOP contenders for a protective detail after each camp issued a formal request last month, ABC News reported.
“Authorization for Secret Service protection for presidential candidates is determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security after consultation with a congressional advisory committee composed of the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, and an additional member selected by the Committee,” a DHS statement said.
Candidates are legally permitted to receive the same protection during their campaigns that is afforded the President of the United States — a stipulation intended to thwart potential assassination attempts.
The federal government began allowing candidates to receive protection after the assassination of New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Kennedy, who was making a charge at the Democratic nomination at the time he was killed, had only been protected by a privately-employed bodyguard — not a security team from the Secret Service.
Trump and Carson, so far, are the Republican frontrunners for the party’s nomination.
In an interview with The Hill congressional blog last month, Trump expressed frustration with the time it takes the Homeland Security department to clear Secret Service protection.
“They’re in no rush because I’m a Republican,” he said. “They don’t give a [expletive].”
Both Carson and Trump said they have received death threats.
On the Democratic side, only Hillary Clinton has Secret Service protection — even though she never requested it. All former first ladies receive lifelong protection from the agency.
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