Joe Biden's campaign has formally requested Secret Service protection for the candidate, reports Fox News. A congressional official tells CNN that House and Senate leaders from both parties have been informed of "a formal request for USSS protection" with "disposition of the matter expected soon." The Department of Homeland Security will decide on the request after consultation with congressional leaders. The move comes after multiple security scares on the Biden campaign trail.
After Jill Biden and senior campaign adviser Symone Sanders tussled with anti-dairy protesters at a campaign event in Los Angeles earlier this month, the candidate told Today that Secret Service protection seemed "increasingly" necessary. "I don't like to … throw them out" a la President Trump, but "I do think the idea of jumping on a stage is just not permissible," Biden said. "The last thing we need is anybody hurt." Protesters have disrupted several others events attended by the former vice president this month, reports ABC News. Biden said his wife had also grabbed a protester in New Hampshire. "I didn't even see him coming behind me," he told Today. (One state has just postponed its primary.)