# When does the Secret Service pull protection on John Kerry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239 "2004-11-05T19:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/1 "2004-11-05T19:44:47Z")
I know that they have to protect presidential candidates and of course the acting POTUS. However, when do they discontinue service to the losing candidates? The election isn’t truly over until the electors meet and cast their votes. Is it then or does he get suplemantary protection even after he goes back to the Senate? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/2 "2004-11-05T20:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Today, the Secret Service is authorized by law to protect: > > ``` > * the President, the Vice President, (or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President), the President-elect and Vice President-elect; > * the immediate families of the above individuals; > * former Presidents, their spouses for their lifetimes, except when the spouse re-marries. In 1997, Congressional legislation became effective limiting Secret Service protection to former Presidents for a period of not more than 10 years from the date the former President leaves office. > * children of former presidents until age 16; > * visiting heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses traveling with them, other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States, and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad; > * **major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general Presidential election.** > > ``` Source: [http://www.secretservice.gov/protection.shtml](http://www.secretservice.gov/protection.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/3 "2004-11-05T21:41:00Z")
According to Leno last night, they snuck away when Kerry was in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/4 "2004-11-05T21:43:17Z")
> [@](#): > > major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general Presidential election. I read this to mean the four months **prior** to the election. Surely Kerry and Edwards don’t get protection until February? Also, the change in protection for former presidents doesn’t limit protection for spouses? So in 2010 Bill’s guards go away, but Hillary’s stay? I’m confused… ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/5 "2004-11-05T21:48:09Z")
I think the 10 year cut-off probably applies to the spouses as well, although the cite doesn’t explicitly say so. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/6 "2004-11-05T21:53:26Z")
Not according to [This Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284948). Reading that and now this is making my head hurt, 'cause it makes no sense to continue to protect the former First Lady and _not_ the former President. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/7 "2004-11-05T21:56:59Z")
[18 USC 3056](http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00003056----000-.html). What I find interesting is that the 120 days part actually says: “Major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and, within 120 days of the general Presidential election, the spouses of such candidates.” So it’s only their spouses who are covered under that time limited part of the rule. The others are covered only under the role of candidates, and I believe they would stop being candidates as soon as they lost. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/8 "2004-11-05T22:49:57Z")
It’s pretty clear to me that the “120 day” rule applies to the days BEFORE the election. It’s also pretty clear from the U.S. Code that both president and spouse get 10 years of protection. Finally, it’s clear that whoever wrote that blurb on the secret service site barely knows English: > [@](#): > > Former Presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes… unless the former President did not serve as President prior to January 1, 1997, in which case, former Presidents and their spouses for a period of not more than ten years from the date a former President leaves office Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 – therefore, he and Hillary both get protection for life. ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/9 "2004-11-06T09:54:10Z")
I’d have thought it would have made sense to extend the protection until Jan 20 when the President is officially inaugurated. Otherwise, GWB could drop dead or the Electoral College decide they prefer Kerry etc etc… ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/10 "2004-11-06T10:19:17Z")
The problem with that is that even if W dies before the EC convenes, Kerry has probably less chance of being elected than I do, as I atleast voted for Bush. The EC delegates would simply vote for whomever the RNC decided to put forth, presumably a Cheney/PersonX ticket. There’s another thread around here about this. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/11 "2004-11-06T21:50:46Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > The EC delegates would simply vote for whomever the RNC decided to put forth, presumably a Cheney/PersonX ticket. I don’t see Cheney being paired up with a Nation of Islam member, but that’s just me… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/12 "2004-11-06T22:06:06Z")
Waitwaitwait… so right now, I could find out where John Kerry is, approach him, and go up and shake his hand without being picked off by a sniper? Something about that doesn’t seem right… but maybe I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/13 "2004-11-07T01:04:26Z")
I heard on the local news radio that the Secret Service had pulled or at least drastically scaled back their prescence in Kerry’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. It was either Thursday or Friday this week. I searched the Boston Globe site and they don’t mention it but they were interviewing his neighbors on the radio and they were saying it was nice that they didn’t need to show ID every time they came home anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/14 "2004-11-08T00:32:34Z")
I heard on national news that they stopped his protection as soon as he conceded. ---
**Author:** ![Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cooper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/15 "2004-11-08T01:26:57Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > I heard on national news that they stopped his protection as soon as he conceded. I heard that that beginning wednesday when he conceded people could park on his street, previously the secret service had forbid it. However, I am sure that the level of protection provided by the secret service varies considerably based on the perceived risk. Probably I can park on Jimmy Carter’s street. Its possible John Kerry has a few agents assigned still but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/16 "2004-11-08T01:58:15Z")
A guy would think that as soon as either Senator Kerry conceded or the Electoral College met, which ever occurs first, Senator Kerry would no longer be a presidential candidate and the authorization for Secret Service protection would end. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-the-secret-service-pull-protection-on-john-kerry/273239/17 "2004-11-08T04:11:52Z")
Concession has no legal bearing, so would mean nothing to the Secret Service. If a President dies before being sworn in, I don’t believe the election gets revisited, or the President’s party gets to nominate a new candidate or any such thing. IIRC, the normal rules of succession still apply (i.e. the Vice-president is the next in line, etc.).