Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) - Newt Gingrich will become the third Republican presidential candidate to receive Secret Service protection.
Service protection begins as early as Wednesday, according to a source from the Gingrich campaign.
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A spokesperson with the U.S. Secret Service would not confirm or comment on any details, deliberations or assessments related to providing service protection for Gingrich or any presidential candidate.
The Gingrich campaign submitted paperwork requesting Secret Service protection in late February. Until now the former House speaker was paying a private security firm to protect Gingrich and his wife at public events.
Secret Service protection for White House hopeful Rick Santorum began February 28. Mitt Romney's protection started earlier, in the first week of February.
Fox News was first to report the story.
– Follow Shawna Shepherd on Twitter: @ShepherdCNN
Also see:
Santorum hits Romney as 'weakest candidate'
CNN Poll: Catholic support for Romney crucial in Ohio
From CNN Politics
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Will he have specially trained astronauts to protect him on the moonbase?
Newt is going to be protected by agents of the government, at taxpayer expense?? Maybe he'll apply for food stamps next.
A waste of good money. No one wants to hurt him. Hell, he can`t even remotely come close to winning.
More trappings of being a credible candidate for the least viable of all the clowns left in the GOP clown-car.
Waste of tax dollars on someone that is not even the GOP nominee.
Gee, not shocked at all Gingrich is all about asking for hand-outs from the federal government when it benefits him. Talk about the great Georgian welfare queen, his protection arrives just in time for him to pull out from a race that he never had any business participating in.
Does this mean were going to have to pay for Secret Service on the moon when Prez Gringrich opens his moon colony?
I cannot imagine who is after Newt!! Maybe it's his 2nd or 1st wife??? If that's the case, hell, he should be able to protect himself!!
Obama 2012 – The Only Trusted Way Forward!!
Why? Newt has no Chance!
The only real protection the Secret Service can give Newtie is to put his feet in restraints so he won't continually put them in his mouth.
Really? What are we trying to save here? This guy doesn't have a chance of winning any nomination. Is this really where we want our taxes to go? Are they agents going to keep him on the straight and narrow and make sure he doesn't go onto wife #4?
What a waste of time and money.
Does he really need Secret Service protection at tax payer's expense?
Just in time for him to drop out of the race. Well, I guess it'll be bragging rights to say that he 'was a contender' to the level justifying SS.
No one cares enough about Newt to provide him with Secret Service at our expense.
Yeah you are right that was kind of rude. I guess I can see why you did not post that suggestion for a code name.
The people who least like him are hoping he'll stay in just to make things more difficult for Republicansm. So who would want to hurt him?
He ain't worth having SS protection.
Just shaking my head.....
lots of good comments here questioning why we need our taxes to pay for his SS protection. Give me a break. What hypocrisy. He should be made to pay for it out of his own pocket.
One word: why?
Here's a thought...if he needs protection for "when he & his wife appear at public events", how about he stay home? Won't cost us taxpayers money for this loser candidate.
Come on..Hes used to it... they are the same ones that protect him at Bohemian Grove every summer !!
It's funny how the GOP complains about the government until they need services
It appears that Andrew could have used the services of the Secret Service.
So, who is going to foot the bill for these expenses? Conservatives, what say you?
The ex-House Speaker should keep paying "a private security firm to protect him and his wife".