Bernie Sanders receives Secret Service protection
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders is officially receiving protection from the U.S. Secret Service during his presidential campaign, CBS News has learned.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed last week that it had received an official request from Sanders for protection. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson authorizes protection in consultation with a congressional advisory committee that includes the top leadership in Congress.
The criteria to receive protection developed by DHS and the congressional advisory committee require that a person have a publicly announced campaign, have "some degree of prominence" in opinion polls, be actively campaigning in at least 10 state primaries, and have received contributions totaling at least $10 million, among other things.
In November, Johnson authorized Secret Service protection for GOP front-runner Donald Trump and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson. And Sanders' Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has received Secret Service protection since she was first lady.
Sanders code name is not yet known. Trump's code name -- "mogul" -- is a tribute to his business empire. Carson, a Seventh-Day Adventist who has based much of his campaign on his religiosity, goes by "Eli," in reference to the Biblical prophet. Clinton is known as "Evergreen."
This story has been updated to reflect that DHS, not the USSS, confirmed Sanders' request for protection last week and to clarify who sets the criteria for protection.
