A congressional advisory committee has voted in favor of granting Nikki Haley US Secret Service protection, according to a source familiar with the matter, after the GOP presidential candidate requested the enhanced security citing threats she is facing.
The recommendation now heads to the desk of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will make the final decision, the source said. Mayorkas, who earlier this week became the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in 150 years, is currently traveling in Germany for the Munich Security Conference.
The protective detail is expected to be approved and Haley would get a protective detail as soon as next week, a second source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The Secret Service has multiple protection teams ready to be dispatched, and one of those teams would be sent to protect the former South Carolina governor on the same day that it is authorized to do so, the first source said.
The congressional advisory committee, which determines if a presidential candidate should qualify for protection, includes the House speaker, House minority whip, Senate majority and minority leaders, and one additional member chosen by the panel.
Haley is currently the last remaining major challenger to former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary. Her campaign requested Secret Service protection earlier this month over threats faced by the candidate. There were reports of two swatting incidents in recent months at Haley’s home in South Carolina, one of which occurred while her parents were there.
Haley’s campaign and the Department of Homeland Security did not comment on the matter.
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