Nikki Haley’s request for Secret Service protection one step away from final approval

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A group of top congressional leaders has recommended that Republican candidate Nikki Haley receive protection from the U.S. Secret Service after she reported a growing number of threats during her presidential campaign, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The committee of leaders voted in favor of granting the protective detail after considering the seriousness of the threats and reviewing national polling data, the person said.

The recommendation has been forwarded to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will make the final decision. The Secret Service already has several standby security teams and the protective detail could be dispatched to protect the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador on the same day the authorization is approved, the person said.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the security plan and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

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The Secret Service is legally required to protect