This isn’t the kind of topic I normally spend much time on, but since I mentioned it yesterday:
[There was] a spike of threats against Mr. Obama before his inauguration and in the early months of his presidency, raising deep concerns inside the Secret Service and at the White House.
The threats have leveled off in recent months, officials said, and Mr. Obama now receives about the same as his two most recent predecessors. But several officials said they took no solace that the volume of reports had receded because it was the nature of the threats that concern them and because the factors behind the increase remain — Mr. Obama’s race prime among them.
….While the big increase in threats against Mr. Obama took place in the first four months of his presidency, officials say the depressed economy has contributed to an increase in antigovernment sentiment, which particularly alarmed federal officials over the summer.
“They are absolutely totally aware that the spike did occur, and they are watching for any trends that would indicate it’s going to spike again,” said W. Ralph Basham, a former director of the service who keeps in contact with Mark Sullivan, the current director.
So there you have it. There were more threats than usual early on, but now things have mostly settled down. Good to know.
