Federal law enforcement agencies are ramping up the level of protection being offered to Joe Biden as the former vice president inches toward the electoral margin required to clinch victory.
Beginning on Friday, the U. S. Secret Service dispatched more agents to Wilmington, Delaware, in anticipation that Biden will win the presidential contest. It is normal practice for leading presidential candidates to receive some Secret Service protection during the campaign. Usually, upon election, that protection detail is significantly expanded to mirror that of the president.
The Secret Service’s decision to expand its protective detail covering Biden was made shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a flight advisory for the former vice president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. The FAA’s advisory establishes a no-fly zone over Biden’s home, requiring all planes to avoid the area unless directly approved by federal officials.
Both the expanded Secret Service detail and the FAA advisory come as the former vice president appears increasingly favored to win the White House contest. Although some states have been too close to call since Election Day, Biden has overtaken President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia as of Friday.
If Biden’s lead holds in both states he is likely to be well over the 270 electoral vote threshold required to win the contest. The results, however, are not definitive as Georgia is headed to a recount after all initial ballots are tallied and questions linger over the validity of certain vote-by-mail ballots in Pennsylvania. Biden also holds narrow leads in both Nevada, Arizona, and a small margin of victory in Wisconsin. All three states are currently the subject of litigation by the Trump campaign, who has raised the specter of voter fraud and electoral irregularities.
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