The U.S. Secret Service sent letters to congressional leaders on Monday seeking to activate 24-hour protection for Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson,
Fox News reported on Monday, confirming a Newsmax exclusive reported this weekend.
The Fox News story
confirmed Newsmax’s report that the Secret Service had informed the two campaigns of plans to deploy protection as early as this week.
Newsmax also reported that the Secret Service is planning to significantly upgrade security currently provided to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Leaders of Congress have to sign off on the proposal, which would activate a rotation of 260 agents for the two candidates, Fox reported, citing unidentified sources.
Carson's campaign requested protection from the Secret Service after the number of threats made against him increased. Carson's campaign told Reuters it would not comment on campaign security issues.
Sources cited by Newsmax stated that the Secret Service, not Carson, requested protection as result of threats it had been monitoring.
Trump has also
sought Secret Service protection as his campaign rallies have grown. Fox News reported his campaign made contact with the Secret Service on Friday.
The request is likely to be approved this week, Fox said.
Carson made headlines last month when he said a Muslim shouldn't be president, later clarifying that statement to say a Muslim who followed Shariah law should be banned from the presidency.
Trump asked for Secret Service protection recently because of the large crowds he was drawing.
In an interview with Newsmax TV's J.D. Hayworth, author and Secret Service expert Ronald Kessler said the candidates will be getting the 'gold standard' of protection.
"For all the Secret Service's problems and snafus and scandals, they are the gold standard when it comes to protection as opposed to private security," Kessler said on "Newsmax Prime," in an interview scheduled to air Monday night.
Kessler said while Trump is wealthy enough to pay for his own security, his private muscle could never do as well as the feds.
"They are very well trained. They'll take a bullet for the president or the candidate, they're very brave and courageous and there's just a whole bunch of levels of protection that they provide that private security simply can't," he said.
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