(CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will receive Secret Service protection this week, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
At this time, GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney is the sole candidate granted protection.
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A spokesman for the Secret Service declined to comment on the matter when contacted by CNN.
Meanwhile, a source with Newt Gingrich's campaign confirmed the former House speaker also requested protection. The source did not know when the paperwork was submitted but said discussions about putting in the request began last week.
Gingrich's campaign has not yet received a response from the Secret Service, the source said.
- CNN's Kevin Bohn and Shawna Shepherd contributed to this report.
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The secret service will be very busy protecting Santorum from all the people that despise him.
Maybe he needs protection because he has said such idiotic things that some whack-job is bound to take him out for it?
Won't God protect him?
He needs to be protected from himself. After all the lies he's told, he should be worried that Almighty God doesn't smite him. And his idiot wife, another idiot Republican wife, claiming his run for President is somehow a divine message. These fools who use God for their own political purposes have done more to disrespect and diminish that God of all of us, making Him seem to favor only Republican politicians. How idiotic is that? And how immoral!
Great, now who's going to protect us from Santorum?
Suddenly, the Republicans do not mind spending the American Taxpayer's money. I believe the Super PACS should be billed for these protection costs.
Why does he need Secret Service protection? I thought God was protecting him...
If any thing Santorum needs protection from is his mouth. Probably be better off if the Secret Service just duct taped it.
If Romney and Santorum want to save the tax payer some money...they should both decline Secret Service details.
I thought god was protecting him??
Thank goodness they've finally responded! The Legions of Tolerance have been sending him & his family death threats for ages now!!
Why should taxpayers have to pay for protection for candidates who incite bigotry and hatred with their speeches?
why waste the taxpayers money? this guy is a joke with zero chance of becoming president
Wha? And here I was under the impression that the secret service only protected the president. That's why we pay their salary right?
And the other article making it sound like Santorum didn't know if he requested the service or not is just more media twisting of the facts. Santorum made it clear that he had discussed it with his campaign staff, but that they were the ones who handled it while he was busy campaigning.
Why did he request secret service when he has god to protect him?
Now THAT is a complete waste of taxpayer money.
I want Secret Service Protection from ALL of the Republican candidates. Where can I submit my paperwork?
sounds like government waste
These boys know that everyone out there has a gun. They voted to protect the rights of Americans to own and carry handguns and assault rifles. And now they expect the taxpayers to protect them from people who might decide to use them? They should practice what they preach and use their own guns to protect themselves. After all, they want less government in their lives and less government spending on social services. This is a perfect opportunity for them to set an example for the rest of us and be rugged, self-sufficient Americans who don't need any help from the government.
It would be cheaper to send him out of the country. Now we are going to protect Terrorist with the Secret Service.
Politically speaking, he's already dead.
The GOP should pay the bill for protecting their own and why not?
I don't think anyone should have Secret Service Protection other than the President, Secretary of State and Ambassadors that we send to other countries. NO ONE! If they want protection let them hire their own. Other politician's don't deserve protection even though their behavior is appalling.
I'm glad I'm not on the Secret Service. There's no way I'd take a bullet for this moron. This jackwagon ought to pay for his own security.