The two leading Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, will soon receive protection from the U.S. government's Secret Service, the same agency that protects President Barack Obama, reported NBC News.
"Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson has authorized United States Secret Service protection for Mr. Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson," DHS spokesman Todd Breasseale said in a statement emailed to Politico Thursday.
The two insurgent candidates asked for their own Secret Service detail in mid-October, which is typical for front-runners to do around this time of year, according to ABC News.
Their requests were approved 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, according to Breasseale.
The committee considered various factors, including the candidates' standing in the polls, amount of money raised and the threat environment, reported CNN.
Online threats against Carson skyrocketed after the retired neurosurgeon said that he didn't think a Muslim should be president, noted Newsmax. As for Trump, the infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman recently placed a $100 million bounty on him, in part for his comments about Mexicans being rapists.
Carson expressed concern that he could be a target and said he would accept the protection, but doesn'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," according to Newsmax.
Trump told The Hill in October that he wanted to put the Secret Service "on notice because they should have a liability. Personally, I think if Obama were doing as well as me he would've had Secret Service [earlier]. I have by far the biggest crowds."
"They're in no rush because I'm a Republican. They don't give a shit," Trump joked.
Breasseale said that the Secret Service will work with the candidates' campaigns to arrange a start date for the protection.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton already has Secret Service protection due to her being a former first lady.
