Democratic presidential pre-candidate Joe Biden, who has been harassed by protesters during his campaign, will receive protection from the Secret Service starting this week, the agency reported.
Biden made the request days ago, after a series of hostile interactions with protesters at his campaign rallies. Two women stormed the stage in Los Angeles where Biden delivered his speech after winning the Super Tuesday primary. Biden’s wife and members of the campaign staff physically removed them from the rostrum, without injury.
The main pre-candidates in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections received protection. Neither Biden nor his rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, had requested it so far, and Sanders has yet to do so.
RELATED
By law, the Secret Service protects the president, the vice president, and their families, as well as other top officials. It has been authorized to protect the presidential candidates of traditional parties since the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
The process of assigning security officers to a candidate requires the campaign to request it. The Secret Service assesses the risks and consults with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and a legislative commission made up of majority and minority leaders from both houses and an additional legislator. The final decision depends on the department.
