Herman Cain to get Secret Service protection

Updated 7:34 p.m. Eastern Time

Two government officials tell CBS News that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been approved for Secret Service protection.

The Secret Service would not say why the decision was made. Cain has received threats as far back as when he was CEO of Godfather's Pizza.

The Cain campaign would not confirm that Cain had been approved for Secret Service protection.

The news comes after the Cain campaign apologized after a CBS News/National Journal reporter was manhandled at a Cain event. The Cain campaign said after the incident that it was "reviewing our own internal security procedures."

Then-Sen. Barack Obama received Secret Service protection on May 3, 2007. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, who also sought the presidency in the 2008 cycle, already had Secret Service protection because he husband had recently been president; her official campaign protection began on November 29, 2007.

Among the candidates who have gotten Secret Secret protection are Rev. Jesse Jackson (starting November 23, 1987 and November 10, 1983), Pat Robertson (December 1, 1987) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (October 25,1979). Six candidates received Secret Service protection in the 1976 campaign cycle.

Congress authorized protection for major presidential candidates after Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, as he was seeking the presidency. A congressional panel signs off on all requests for Secret Service protection.

26 Photos

Herman Cain on the campaign trail

[JenniferLawsonZepeda]

OCCUPY CORPORATE PRACTICES! See more:

http://lawsonzepeda.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy-corporate-practices.html

[JenniferLawsonZepeda]

Cain is old news. He burnt his bridges. As far as socialism, I wish Obama WAS a socialist. I would vote for him in 2012 if he were, but he's the usual bipartisan fence straddler. Thus, I am forced to vote for a REAL socialist -- Stewart Alexander! Someone who stands for the ideals of the people...the 99%, not the 1% elitist pigs.

[Overruled1]

Cain had a plan, a bad plan, but the only one I heard...now his plans are toast.
Unfortunate that Cain isn't qualified to be our president....
I feel President Obama is a shoe in anyhow for a second term.

[bigsk8fan]

besides the death threats, other news sources quoted herman cain as saying that his security staff had run-ins with reporters. the death threats seem a better reason for secret service protection than reporters asking questions.

[maryderricotte62]

Mr. Cain pull yourself up by your own boot straps and pay the tab yourself since you said you where against financial aid for students as they become doctors and nurses should be working at Mc Donalds at night to study and go to school in the day time or remember when you said the community and churches should pay for ther education well get your friends the Koch Brothers to pay for your security.

[JenniferLawsonZepeda]

Amen! If Cain is so opposed to government spending, then stop sponging off the taxpayers to cover his latest PR campaign...the supposed danger to him...which is a thinly veiled effort to bring his name back up in the polls.

[JenniferLawsonZepeda]

AMEN! Cain says he is opposed to government spending? Then man up and pay for your own PR campaign -- this b.s. about OWS being a threat to you; which is simply a Public Relations tactic to cover your sexual harassment behavior that pulled you down in the polls. This man is so disgusting it is unbelievable. There isn't a trick he misses!

[syrik]

If people want to kill you before you even get to be president you probably shouldn't be running.

[nygal28]

I thought secret service was reserved for the president, not the candidates. He should hire his own body guard and pay for it himself. This is bs.

[bigsk8fan]

no, secret service protection has always been afforded to credible presidential candidates. this is actually later than usual for a presidential campaign cycle to have the first candidate receive such protection.

[ladyang]

So much for saving American taxpayers money. Cain is a joke! And all you neocons/teabaggers are just as goofy!

[samXXkiley]

coucou,

why not?
all women in the United States, are angry against Herman, for sure
lol!
"au revoir"

[longtree-2009]

waste of taxpayer monies. candidates should pay for their own security out of personal or campaign funds. once they are nominated, taxpayer monies should provide ss protection. this is just another reason not to continue to support cain much less vote for him. as a former pizza ceo, cain should have a personal fortune to pay for his own security. cain should be taking that lie detector test he offered to take over the sexual harrassment and if he passes then and only then should his request be approved for ss protection if there are real credible threats. cain is some kind of dufus.