The Department of Homeland Security has authorized Secret Service protection for Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
A spokesman for the the federal law enforcement agency confirmed to the Washington Examiner Thursday that the two leading GOP hopefuls will soon be joined by Secret Service agents on the campaign trail as they continue to chase the Republican nomination.
Both Carson and Trump requested the added protection in mid-October after months of polling in the top tier of the Republican field.
In the weeks since the requests were first reported, Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has picked up even more momentum and taken over as the front-runner in Iowa and in some national polls. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to attract thousands of supporters to his signature Make America Great Again rallies.
“I recognize that someone like me who is very truthful and who really doesn’t subscribe to all the traditional power scriptures is probably gonna be a target,” Carson said in October.
According to previous reports, the two candidates could receive up to two dozen agents each.
The decision to deploy agents to accompany presidential candidates on the campaign trail is decided by a congressional advisory committee comprised of leadership from both chambers of Congress. Once the committee has approved a request, authorization from the DHS is the final step in the process of receiving protection.
