GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson on Monday admitted he has become a "target" and has to accept Secret Service protection.
"I don't feel the need for it, quite frankly, but the Secret Service thinks that I need it. So, you know, it is what it is," Carson said Monday during a stop on his book tour in Austin, Texas, confirming what Newsmax reported over the weekend.
"I recognize that someone like me who is very truthful and who really doesn't subscribe to all the traditional power structures is probably gonna be a target," he said, according to a report by
NBC News.
Newsmax broke the story on Saturday that GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Carson, who is running second or tied for first in most polls, would be receiving protection perhaps as early as this week.
A source told Newsmax that online threats against Carson went "off the charts" after he made comments that he doesn't believe a Muslim should be president.
Fox News confirmed Newsmax's story Monday, reporting that the Secret Service sent letters to congressional leaders on seeking to activate 24-hour protection for Trump and Carson.
NBC reported that a Secret Service spokesperson said the requests for protection came from the Trump and Carson campaigns, and that as private citizens they are not required to have it.
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