Herman Cain recibirá protección del Servicio Secreto

POLITICO.com:

“We are protecting Herman Cain,” Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said Thursday night. He said the decision was made by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano, at the request of the Cain campaign and in consultation with the Congressional advisory committee.”

“The authority was given to the Service to protect Herman Cain [beginning] today,” Donovan said.

Asked about the decision to protect Cain about a year before the general election, Donovan said: “Historically, it’s not that unusual.” The Secret Service spokesman noted protection was granted to Jesse Jackson at a similar point during his two campaigns, to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in October 1979 and to a variety of candidates at a similar point in the 1976 cycle.

Donovan declined to say whether any threats prompted the decision to protect Cain, who at this point is the only candidate under protection other than President Barack Obama. “We don’t discuss the deliberations on which an assessment is made,” the spokesman said.

A U.S. official said on background that it is not unprecedented for a candidate to get protection starting this early. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, who also had security as a former first lady, received campaign protection starting Nov. 29, 2007.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson began getting campaign protection Nov. 23, 1987, and Nov. 10, 1983, Pat Robertson received it Dec. 1, 1987, and then-Sen. Barack Obama got it May 3, 2007.

Cain is the 12th presidential candidate whose campaign is being supported by the Secret Service.