Nikki Haley has sought protection from the U.S. Secret Service

Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s last remaining Republican presidential rival, has sought protection from the U.S. Secret Service, her campaign said.

Although Haley’s headquarters did not report specific threats against her, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was twice – on December 30 and January 1 – the victim of “swatting” – false reports to the police about alleged offenses at her residence in order to cause a potentially dangerous reaction of law enforcement officers.

Experts consider it a form of intimidation or harassment that is increasingly being used against high-profile individuals, including officials involved in civil and criminal cases against Trump.

The FBI traced one of the calls that led to a “matchmaking” incident at Haley’s South Carolina home in December and intended to conduct a “threat assessment.” Haley has stated that her parents were home at the time of the December incident.

In recent days, protesters opposed to Haley’s support for additional military aid to Ukraine or supporting Trump’s candidacy have regularly disrupted or staged demonstrations outside her events in South Carolina.

Ahead of the Feb. 24 primary, Haley is campaigning in the state where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017.

In the race to defeat Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s general election, Trump is ahead of Haley by more than 56 percentage points, according to averages from poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight. In South Carolina, Trump leads by about 32 points.

The Secret Service often provides security for major presidential candidates, both in general elections and primaries. Under federal rules, such security must be authorized by the Secretary of Homeland Security after consultation with the five-member Congressional Advisory Committee, including top Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives.

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