I’ve heard several versions of what happens after a current president is out of office.
1 (the one I assumed was the truth): They get protection from the Secret Service, a small group of a couple guys, for life.
2: A recent (within the past couple administrations) law gave them only 10 years protection.
3: A recent law gave them no protection… They’d have to hire body guards on their own.
I remember hearing stories about Nixon dismissing his to save taxpayer money and his annoyance of how they’d dug up his lawn for communication cables.
This all came to mind as I read this article about how Laura Bush jokes about how she has so little furniture in their new place she had to borrow some from the Secret Service next door. So… Apparently they are getting protection.
I’m not trying to create a debate on whether taxpayer money should go to this or if the former presidents should have to pay for it themselves. NOT A DEBATE.
Just wondering what the facts are when I’ve heard a few conflicting stories.
If there was a law passed within the past several years what were the stipulations that were added?
Previous to George W. Bush, all former Presidents received Secret Service protection for life. I don’t know if it’s true that Nixon dismissed his, but as I recall from reading the statute ages ago, the President and the Vice President are the only people not allowed to refuse protection; presumably a former President would be able to do so.
Bill Clinton signed legislation in 1997 that limits the protection to ten years for all Presidents elected after him (natch.) So Bush, Obama and all subsequent ones will get ten years, assuming no further changes to the law.
A lady I know lives in a nice place her and her husband bought from Denny Hastert. He lived there while he was Speaker, and she’s mentioned that the house next door, on the same property, was where the Secret Service was housed while he lived there, so I could believe the part about them taking up residence. They have to live somewhere, right?
This The U. S. Government seems to indicate Bush will be the first to be subject to the ten year limit. That suggest the law was changed fairly recently.
ETA - Way scooped… My google fu is slow.
What was the reason for Nixon turning it down? Was it just to keep the taxpayers from spending so much on himself or was it the story I’d heard secondhand that he had been more annoyed with them than anything?
And did Nixon pay for private security after that or was he just the guy down the street that anyone could knock on the door of and he’d come out in his bathrobe and yell at you to go away?