Although still merely a candidate for the presidency, Herman Cain is now under the protection of the US Secret Service. Though not unheard of, this practice is rare and typically only occurs when a candidate has received a credible threat to his or her safety.
“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.”
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.
Cain is the 12th presidential candidate whose campaign is being supported by the Secret Service.
An interesting, if enigmatic, development in his bid for the White House.