Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley requested Secret Service protection because of an increase in threats, she told the Wall Street Journal on Monday—as Haley remains the sole Republican presidential primary challenger to former President Donald Trump.
Former South Carolina governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley confirmed to the Wall ... [+]
Haley told the Journal in an interview her team had submitted a federal request for Secret Service, saying they have “had multiple issues” in terms of security but that “it’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.”
The Secret Service can offer protection to “temporary protectees,” including “major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses,” according to its website—though the Secretary of Homeland Security and an advisory committee mostly made up of lawmakers determine who is considered a major presidential candidate.
Haley was recently the victim of two swatting hoaxes in which someone made false reports to police in an attempt to get them to respond to her home on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, Reuters reported.
Last week, a woman was tackled by Haley’s security team when she tried to rush the stage, the Journal reported, and some of her campaign events have recently been interrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors.
Forbes has reached out to Haley’s campaign for details on the request for Secret Service.
Major presidential candidates often do not receive Secret Service protection until they’re nominated by their party, the New York Times reports. Typically, the Secret Service is eligible to protect major candidates 120 days before the general presidential election, though Homeland Security secretaries have made exceptions and allowed for early security in the past. In 2007—almost nine months before the general election—the Secret Service began protecting former President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, Trump already has Secret Service protection due to his status as a former president.
- That’s how many “protectees” the Secret Service had in the 2022 fiscal year.
The Secret Service investigates financial crimes and offers security to the president and vice president, their families and homes, visiting foreign heads of state, former presidents and their spouses and more, according to its website. Haley’s request comes as threats of violence against political leaders are spiking, according to the U.S. Capitol Police, which investigated more than 8,000 threats against lawmakers in 2023, marking a 7% increase from the prior year. Capitol Police said it expects 2024 to be a very busy year, in part due to the election.
Haley’s status as a former ambassador to the United Nations and work with Iran in that capacity could play a role in the determination of whether to provide her protection, the Wall Street Journal reported.